Winning with Class

Rachel Cruze is a wife, a mother, a certified financial coach, a #1 New York Times bestselling author and seasoned communicator. Rachel helps Americans learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She's authored multiple bestselling books, including Know Yourself, Know Your Money, Love Your Life, Not Theirs, Contentment Journal, Smart Money Smart Kids, and a children's book, I'm Glad for What I Have. The daughter of Dave Ramsey, she uses the knowledge and experiences from growing up in the Ramsey household to educate others. She's the host of The Rachel Cruze Show on YouTube and podcast, co-hosts Smart Money Happy Hour with George Kamel, and co-hosts The Ramsey Show, often with her Dad! Check out the links below to follow her!

Takeaways:

1. Avoiding the comparison game. This is a tough one when it comes to the money game because, as Rachel says, whether its social media, the news, or almost anywhere else, the opportunities for us to compare ourselves to others surround us. So, we have to be intentional about getting to a place of peace. This comes from the right combination of foundation and fulfillment that comes from putting in the work. Once we're at this level of peace, we're a LOT less susceptible to the comparison game. And, as Rachel says, we can actually get to a place of celebrating others and turn the viewing of others' success as a positive experience.
2. Knowing ourselves. I love the notion – like the title of her book tells us – to know ourselves so that we can really figure out our true relationship with money. As we've said with winning with class and pursuing your complete – you gotta do the work. We all need to look in the mirror, dig deep and figure out what is driving our relationship with money. Self-awareness is critical in all areas of life and Rachel confirms that the money game is no different.
3. I love how Rachel makes the point that personal finance is 80% behavior, 20% head knowledge. This isn't complicated. We can all get the knowledge we need to have a solid money game. It's our HABITS that we need to analyze and strive to consistently improve – and Rachel helps us with this.
4. Also, like we discussed, just because it's simple, doesn't mean it's easy. And, as we discussed, fear can play a factor. I love how Rachel says that one of the ways we can fight fear is by focusing on the truth – write it all down and get comfortable with the facts. Facts are our friend. Most of the time, either they will reveal that reality is not as bad as you thought OR, even if it's not great, by getting it all in front of you, you've tackled the toughest part which is owning the situation. Now you just need to game plan your way to progress…and we discussed how you can do that, using the baby steps Rachel mentioned.
5. Being Committed v. Just Involved. For the reasons Rachel mentioned – all the positives that money can bring you if used as the tool she describes – freedom, peace, a life of impact and more – the money game needs to be one we all fully COMMIT to on a consistent basis. We can't just be involved – we need to COMMIT!
6. Finally, the word we've begun to speak about regularly on the show pops up again…PEACE….Rachel does a great job of describing PEACE as the result of living a life with the right money perspective and game plan. The peace that involves living a life you love and being generous while you do it..THAT IS winning with class and it simply doesn't get any better than that.

Links:

DR. CAROLINE LEAF is a globally acclaimed communication pathologist and clinical and research neuroscientist, celebrated for her groundbreaking work in harnessing the power of the mind to transform the brain and unlock sustainable happiness and health. A passionate advocate for mental and emotional well-being, she is the bestselling author of 19 transformative books which have been translated into over 24 languages. Her best-selling books include Switch On Your Brain, Think and Eat Yourself Smart, The Perfect You, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, and How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess. Her research and insights have touched millions through widely read journal articles, viral videos, her top-ranking podcast, and inspirational TV episodes. Dr. Leaf is a sought-after speaker, captivating audiences at prestigious academic, medical, and neuroscience conferences, as well as in churches and organizations across the globe. Her expertise has been featured in renowned media outlets such as Forbes, BBC, Mindbodygreen, CNN, Men's Health, Vogue, Elle, TEDX and many others, solidifying her as a trusted voice in neuroscience, personal development, and mental health.

Help In a Hurry Book

Even though it's uncomfortable and sometimes even distressing to us, it's perfectly normal to feel lost, anxious, or overwhelmed at times. It's okay to be a bit of a mess! But none of us wants to stay that way for long.

If you've ever felt stuck in crisis mode, the strategies in this book will help you cope in the moment, manage a chaotic mind, and start living each day with intention and inner peace.

With actionable, evidence-based strategies to handle our most common challenges in life, this practical guide from bestselling author and clinical neuroscientist Dr. Caroline Leaf offers the tools you need to prevent a descent into chaos and instead find peace and strength amid the turmoil of daily life.

Takeaways:

1. The way this book is set up is great. Dr. Leaf dedicates a separate chapter each to common issues a lot of us face and provides tools and information that will help process our responses to these circumstances. We covered one in our conversation – yes, one of the chapters really is titled "Help, I want to punch that person in the face." Other chapters include "Help, I'm under pressure!", "Help, my brain won't shut up!", "Help, I don't understand what the heck is happening!", and more.
2. One of the main things I like about the book is the empowering notion that our minds actually make up 99% of who we are. There's so much out there about brain science – all of which is great. But, as we discussed, that can get a little overwhelming in terms of the science behind how the brain is built and how it functions. To hear Dr. Leaf describe how the mind controls the brain and that WE can manage our minds – that's powerful and should make us all feel like we actually can control everything a lot more than we may have thought before. If we pursue mind management, our brains and even our bodies will end up in a good place.
3. I like how Dr. Leaf says we have 3 time periods in which we can manage our minds. We can prepare beforehand – practice before the situation arises, we can take charge of that 60 second short period before we respond immediately to the circumstances, and then we can do a deep dive for 63 days following our triggering event and transform it into a positive habit or memory. All of this is described as Mind Management.
4. One of the benefits of mind management is that when we choose to be intentional, self-reflective, and manage our own minds, as Dr. Leaf and I discussed, we can avoid following that that that has become all too common of falling into an identity that is based on the surface information and outside sources. If we simply allow the processes and tools of our own mind take over, we will no longer be interested in the quick-hit or "trendy" identity.
5. I also like how Dr. Leaf said that Winning with Class simply is Mind Management. As she said this, she confirmed that when we manage our minds, it allows us to be both strong AND nice as people. This balance is exactly what winning with class – and the pursuit of complete - is all about.
6. Finally, I like how Dr. Leaf referred to PEACE as FUEL. Ultimately, all of this – mind management, winning with class, pursuing complete…it's all about achieving a level of PEACE. This peace is, as Dr. Leaf says, FUEL – fuel that will free us and allow us all to maximize our time and our talents and the resulting POSITIVE IMPACT that we will have on ourselves and all those surrounding us.

Links:

Nick Mingione was named Kentucky's head coach on June 13, 2016 and quickly became a respected piece of the UK Baseball program and local community, while guiding the Wildcats to their only Super Regional and first-ever College World Series appearance in school history.

In his rookie season as a head coach, Mingione proved a quick study as the 2017 Wildcats etched their name all over the school's record books. The program made a trip to the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals for the first time and finished ranked in the Top 10 of every major college baseball poll. In year seven, Mingione repeated the feat by returning to the Super Regional and climbing into the Top 10 during the season.

UK has hosted a regional four times in history, all of which Mingione was on staff for, including twice as head coach.

The Wildcats had a record-breaking 2024 season that earned Mingione his second SEC and National Coach of the year awards. UK set a new school record with 46 victories and won the SEC regular season crown for just the second time.

Mingione – who spent eight seasons as an assistant to Cohen at Mississippi State – was an immediate hit with fans and community leaders. He made it a point to have his team involved in the community, part of his "Student. Person. Player." guiding principle of the program, participating in numerous philanthropic events in Lexington while also taking time for more than 100 local speaking engagements.

His impact on the Commonwealth culminated in being named a Kentucky Colonel on Oct. 23, 2017. The designation is the highest honor a civilian can receive in Kentucky. He also was named the 2022 winner of the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's Jerry Kindall Character in Coaching Award for his work on and off the field.

The Cats also have been dominant in the classroom, having 31 players receive SEC Academic Honor Roll and First-Year Honor Roll in 2018, eight more than any other school in the conference. Zach Logue was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2017, Troy Squires won the prestigious Senior CLASS Award in 2018, the first Kentucky player to do so, and Marshall Gei was First-Team Academic All-America in 2019. T.J. Collett then became the second Wildcat in four years to win the Senior CLASS Award when he was honored in 2021. UK also has had an Academic All-American in five of the past six years.

"He's a special coach," LSU coach Jay Johnson said. "They know how to play. They know how to win. Their pitchers know exactly who they are, how to execute it. They know exactly the style of offense that they are, and they play it great. He's a special dude. He's a special competitor. He's a great coach and a great human being."

Mingione – born in Tarrytown, N.Y., before growing up in Florida – graduated from Embry-Riddle in 2000 with a degree in aerospace studies, as well as a triple minor in business, psychology and humanities. He was also a four-year letterman on the school's baseball team.

Away from coaching, Mingione travels often for both speaking engagements and mission trips. In 2013, he and a group of former players and coaches helped build houses and run baseball clinics for youth on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera. When he returned stateside, he was inducted into the "Be The Best You Are" Baseball Clinic Speaker Hall of Fame. Other past inductees include Ted Williams (2002), Ron Polk (2003), Leo Mazzone (2006) and Cohen (2008).

Mingione and his wife, Christen, have one son, Reeves.

Key Takeaways:

1. From the start, it was pretty clear that Coach Mingione had coaching in his heart. We talk a lot about pursuing your complete – one of the main aspects of this is pursuing a life that is truly in line with how you are wired from the inside. This is the best path to pursuing a life as the best and most COMPLETE versions of ourselves. Coach has clearly done this, and it comes out in the genuine nature with which he discusses his role as coach and leader.
2. "It's not what you're playing for, it's WHO you're playing for." What a fantastic notion for all of us – in sports and in life. If we can maintain this as our mentality for ourselves, for the teams we play on, the businesses in which we work, the communities in which we live – playing and living not for trophies and awards, but as the best representative of ourselves and those around us…there is no limit for how far we can all go.
3. Coach's three culture points: 1) It's an everyday thing. 2) It's about what you allow – he strives to allow his players to be best versions of selves 3) It's about what you reinforce. I love how he mentions that "consistency compounds." The result - it becomes WHO YOU ARE as players and as a team. That's when the fun starts.
4. The standard is the standard. I love this one. There is little room for gray here. And it's great for all of us – as individuals and teams. You establish standards that will lead you where you want to – and then you follow them. Then you encourage repetition with acknowledgement and rewards. As the repetition builds…you end up defining yourself and your team. As Coach indicates, elite teams and losing teams are usually defined by their standards.
5. Feedback – breakfast of champions. This is a great one as well. We can't grow if we can't give and receive feedback. When we give it, it needs to be from the right place in our hearts. Likewise, when we receive it, it needs to be with an open heart. A critical piece to this is letting go of EGO. Coach mentions that he defines ego as "Edging God Out" which I love as well. Or another way to say it is just putting aside our self-interest and opening ourselves up for growth, acknowledging that the person giving the feedback just wants growth and improvement for us and the team.
6. Coach's FOUNDATION is clear. Faith, family, and UK make up his foundation and this is clearly genuine as he discusses it so naturally. I really like how his faith is unwavering for him, but he acknowledges that, as a leader, he needs to meet his players where they are on THEIR journey. He is always open to share his faith but won't force it on anybody either.
7. Related to this point on FOUNDATION is our common notion of PURSUING COMPLETE. I like how coach mentions here the important step of eliminating the negatives as well as adding the positives in this PURSUIT. He can't have whining, complaining, soft, lazy or selfish and strives to eliminate those as much as he works to build the positive elements of the team's culture. Eliminating the negatives from our lives should be just as much a part of our PURSUIT of COMPLETE as adding and chasing the positive aspects of who we strive to be.
8. Leadership style. Two points here. First, I love coach's simple, yet powerful style of simply asking questions and listening. He mentions how this process takes some longer than others, but, as the example he provided of taking three meetings with one player, it sounds like Coach usually gets everybody where they need to be with this process. Second, the notion of "better caught than taught." There's no better way to lead than by example. It can be supplemented by teaching and coaching, but they'll follow you mostly because of what they SEE in you.

Links:

Website: www.ukathletics.com IG: @ukbaseball X: @Coach_Mingione

Multi-talented and award-winning actor Neal McDonough has been blessed to have an incredible career in the film industry. He is now producing films alongside his wife Ruvé for the McDonough company. Films such as THE WARRANT, BREAKERS LAW, REDSTONE, BOON, BLACK SPARTANS ,and most recently the hit film THE SHIFT for Angel Studios. Soon, they will be going into production on their next western that he has written called THE WICKED AND THE RIGHTEOUS .

McDonough is well known for performances in productions, such as BAND OF BROTHERS, MINORITY REPORT, WALKING TALL and STAR-TREK FIRST CONTACT. He also started in many stage productions, and most recently playing Whitey Bulger on stage in FINDING WHITEY at the Wilbur theater in Boston. He also recently played Daddy Warbucks in ANNIE and numerous other stage productions as well.

His voice over career is what really started him. The voice of many cartoons, including Bruce Banner in the INCREDIBLE HULK and in many video games such as CALL OF DUTY ZOMBIES. He has also been the long-term voice of FIDELITY AND CADILLAC. But he's most proud of his relationship with God, his wife, Ruvé, and their five children. McDonough trained at Syracuse University and studied at LAMDA in London.

The Last Rodeo Synopsis: A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson. Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family. Neal McDonough, Writer/Producer/Lead Actor (Ian Ross).

Takeaways:

1. First, we all need to go see The Last Rodeo. It comes out on Memorial Day, so go get your tickets and go with your whole family. A movie that's described as Rocky on a bull, that comes with great messages, truly made for the whole family, with the icing on the cake of having Neal's wife Ruve join him – how can it get any better than that?
2. Neal's genuine and humble nature – the manner with which he handled the entire interview from the minute he sat down to chat. Neal gets a million requests for interviews, and he spoke on this show as if he's been friends with all of us forever. This guy's the real deal and confirmed why he's such a great model of the phrase that is the title and main theme of this show.
3. Neal's Pursuit of Complete.

   a. First, it hasn't been easy – we mentioned his having to go through great loss from being black balled in Hollywood for choosing to stand by his standards, then having to quit alcohol as he mentioned – he's clearly fought some battles along the way.

   b. Second, and along those lines – he's a great example of TRULY committing to your pursuit and the standards that drive it. How much are we willing to sacrifice to maintain our standards? How many battles would we be willing to fight to stay true to them?

   c. Third, we talk a lot about strong priorities and a strong foundation – Neal clearly has both. With FAITH and FAMILY as his main driving factors, he was able to handle all the adversity and battles that went along with his pursuit…and…he was going to WIN…it was just a matter of time.

   d. Fourth, like we've said, and Neal confirmed by saying as well..that the PURSUIT of COMPLETE is ongoing. As he said, we'll never get there - we're always in PURSUIT and we just have to keep driving.

   e. Finally, listen to the RESULT of Neal's PURSUIT – though it is ongoing as we just mentioned, there is that sense of genuine fulfillment that will come at some point when you know you're on the right path that is directly in line with who you are at your core. When that happens, LIMITLESS IMPACT becomes possible. And Neal is clearly on that path…

Please follow Neal, Angel Studios, and PBR where Neal and his wife Ruve are part of the ownership team of PBR's Austin Gamblers:

Links:

The Last Rodeo Website: www.angel.com/movies/last-rodeo

Neal McDonough IG: @neal_mcdonough

Angel Instagram: @angelstudios_inc

Angel website: www.angel.com

PBR website: www.pbr.com

PBR IG: @pbr

Cori Close was named The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach on April 21, 2011, and is currently 287-140 (.672) overall. This year, Coach Close led the Bruins to a 30-win season, at one point winning 23 in a row, 22 by double digit margins. The regular season ended with a Big Ten Conference Tournament Championship and a number one overall seed in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament. For all of this, Close was named the Women's Coach of the Year by the US Basketball Writers Association. This strong season was preceded by UCLA's second-consecutive 27-win season in the 2023-24 campaign, tying the third-most wins in a season in UCLA program history. After that season, Close was named the recipient of the 2024 WBCA Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced in February of 2024. The WBCA presents the award annually to an active member coach who exemplifies Eckman's spirit, integrity and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose.

Prior to becoming the head coach at UCLA in 2011, her first head coaching position, Close spent time as an assistant at UCLA, an assistant/associate head coach at UC Santa Barbara, and as an associate head coach at Florida State University. Coach Close has also had success coaching for USA basketball, having been on the USA Basketball staff for three gold-medal winning teams. In 2021, following gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup, Close was named the co-recipient of the 2021 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year Award, sharing with 2021 USA Men's U19 head coach Jamie Dixon.

Takeaways:

When it comes to the PURSUIT of COMPLETE as we talk about often, there are few better than Coach Close. In our conversation, she seemed to cover all bases, discussing how she builds her team and herself from within, building both foundations on all the right things. Some of my main takeaways from the conversation are

1. Building a principle-based culture. I love how coach uses this phrase so naturally. She mentions the three core aspects of her culture – having a growth mindset, being a person of gratitude, and being a lifestyle giver and truly wants these to serve her players during their stay at UCLA and beyond. She also mentions that if she's not continually working on herself, then her ability to build and maintain this culture for her players will be limited. This could not be more important in today's world of NIL and the transfer portal – having a coach that is truly and genuinely concerned with building herself into her best version so she can then give the best to them…could be the difference between some of them staying at UCLA or going elsewhere.
2. I love how Coach talks about her goal of having practice be her players' best 2 hours of their day. She mentions how over a player's career, the games are only 4% of their time. As Coach makes clear, the best way to do this is to make the time she has with them the best mix of work, competition and the true essence of TEAM that she can make it.
3. Gratitude. This is a big one for Coach, as it should be. I like how she has decided to add to one of her mantras of – "Doesn't matter. Get better." Now, it's "Doesn't matter. Get better. Practice gratitude." Here, she makes the great point that if you do nothing with your thoughts – 80% of them will be negative. So, we have to be intentional with our thoughts and especially with including gratitude as it is our biggest weapon v. negativity. Whether it's focusing on somebody special in your life, something that went well today…whatever works best. Where gratitude is in our head, negativity cannot be.
4. There are few things better than having a positive impact on others. But, Coach does a great job of explaining that if she isn't working on herself first, then her ability to impact others will be limited. Coach mentioned that she really tries to spend time each day quietly working on herself so that she can bring her best to her team. She clearly has a lot of gifts to give..but as she says, it takes this CONSISTENT and INTENTIONAL work to maintain and build them…so that their impact on her team can be maximized.
5. When Coach was talking about Winning with Class, she confirmed for us that leaders need to lead from place of humility. As she made clear, this is absolutely NOT a weakness – instead, it's a STRENGTH. Further confirmation that, as we've heard from other guests, winning with class is the uncommon path and it takes STRENGTH!!!!
6. Finally, Coach Close's answer as to why we need BOTH winning and class as a pursuit was perfect: She said if some of her players asked her why both winning and class are important, she would ask them about the best moments in their lives. Most of the time, the answers would be not as much about wins on the court, but more about when they served others or overcame hard things and grew from the adversity. She also pointed out that yes, we do forget this as we are frantically chasing wins…but, that's just another reason to stay intentional and consistent as we mentioned before in terms of our PURSUIT of COMPLETE – bringing both winning AND class into all we do.

Please follow Coach Close and The UCLA Bruins:

Links:

Website:

uclabruins.com

X/Instagram:

@uclawbb

@coachcoriclose

Far more than a professional soccer player with the Washington Spirit, Brittany Ratcliffe is a great package of personality and talent who has her priorities firmly in order. This package has led to a long and successful soccer career and has put her on a path to ensuring that she wins with class at anything she does in life – in and beyond sports.

Born and raised in South Jersey, Brittany grew up and remains a huge Philadelphia sports fan. While growing up, she dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player as she attended Philadelphia Charge (of the former Women's United Soccer Association) games.

Brittany attended the University of Virginia (2012-15) where she earned both Third Team All-ACC and ACC Academic Honor Roll recognition in both her junior and senior seasons – and played for previous Winning with Class guest, Coach Steve Swanson.

#FearTheBow, #The BowIsBack - It was during this time at Virginia where a small gesture from Brittany for the benefit of her parents went viral. Hearing that her parents had a hard time distinguishing her from her teammates – as their hair often covered their jersey numbers – Brittany decided to wear a bright orange bow in her hair during games. The Bow was born….becoming one of the most well-known images of women's soccer and even working its way up to the hashtags above….

Brittany was drafted in 2016 when she was selected 17th overall by the Boston Breakers in the NWSL draft. Other stops in the league include FC Kansas City and the North Carolina Courage before joining the Spirit in January of 2024.

As you'll hear, Brittany's longevity in the league – she just celebrated her 100th game! - is due in large part to her commitment to consistency. A fierce competitor and loyal teammate, Brittany has scored 12 goals so far in her career, three of which have been game winning. In 2023, the forward scored in three consecutive Challenge Cup group stage matches, tallying game-winning goals against Washington and Orlando. Ratcliffe later helped her team win the Challenge Cup Championship trophy.

Much more than any stat or Bow hashtag, I know you will enjoy getting to know Brittany through this episode. Her appreciation for family and team, combined with her overall engaging and fun personality make her a great example of the winning with class personalities we're so proud to feature on this show!

Takeaways:

Some of the specific takeaways from our conversation:

1. Brittany's very clear appreciation for her parents as part of her foundation is one to be modeled. From giving credit to them for instilling certain principles all the way to creating "The Bow" for them…She is clearly thankful for all her parents have done to get her where she is…as should we all be.
2. Related to this point – as Brittany gives her parents credit – she makes the point of how important it was for her to learn that if you're going to do ANYTHING – you need to work your absolute hardest at it and that this principle applies to EVERYTHING - whether it's sports, school, friends….anything – bring your absolute best to it. This is directly in line with what this show stands for in terms of doing all we can to bring winning and class into ALL areas of our lives. Brittany clearly gets this and credits her parents for teaching it to her at an early age.
3. Culture is a big word these days. Brittany clearly appreciates how important it is on any team. She credits the players and coaches at the University of Virginia for creating a great one there. She touched on the critical element of culture being the "ALL IN" mentality all must have as a team of players owning their roles. From the stars of the team to those who only got 10 minutes of time – whatever it is – be ALL IN and own your role and the team and its culture will be successful. The benefits of this are not only immediate in the form of wins, but more importantly, they're also long term in terms of lifelong relationships, as Brittany mentioned.
4. What drives Brittany? Her love of being part of a TEAM. Is she competitive? For sure. Does she get upset when she loses? Definitely. But at the end of the day, she loves going out after practice and getting coffee together.
5. Brittany makes a great point when she talked about how she knows she had a good day – is she happy with herself when she goes to bed? She is if she competed, brought her best, and then had a great "team" day as well. It's hard to describe winning with class any better than that!
6. The standard that drives Brittany – a great one – Consistency. I love how she describes this. She mentions not only showing up and working hard as a good teammate but also consistently striving for and chasing growth. She asked – can you get better at something every day? What a great question for us to ask of ourselves in all areas of our lives.
7. This notion of consistency flowed right into Brittany's definition of winning with class – never letting winning or losing affect your personality – staying consistent – while also CONSISTENTLY asking "What's next?"…to work in that growth challenge we should all bring to ourselves every day.

Please follow Brittany and The Washington Spirit:

Links:

Website: washingtonspirit.com

Instagram: @brit_ratcliffe and @washingtonspirit

Jeff Boyd is the founder of MTE (More Than Energy), research-based wellness supplement that seeks to help you thrive by boosting your focus, productivity, and overall well-being. Jeff shares how health has always been a focus and passion for him, starting back when he grew up as an athlete. He then shares his entrepreneurial path and what it takes to go out and build something on your own. Throughout, you'll learn that Jeff is sincere in his quest to bring people health and wellness through is product and that he values living by a high standard that starts at home with his family and extends to his friends and beyond.

Takeaways:

Some of the specific takeaways from our conversation:

1. The story about Damon West. Damon's story is amazing, and he will be a guest on this show, but this point is not about him. It's about how his friend, Jeff, stuck with him through thick and thin – including when Damon went completely off the rails in a very bad way. We always talk about bringing winning and class with you into every area of your lives – this is a great example of doing this with your friends. It would've been very easy for Jeff to write Damon off, and he didn't.
2. After Jeff sold his first business, he talks about the freedom he had in terms of his next move. This is what financial success gives you and what should be focused on – and look what he chose to do. The conversation wasn't about THINGS – it was about Jeff finding a passion and using it to build something that will help bring health and wellness to others. Is it a business? Yes. Is he out to win in business? Yes, but he cares deeply about making sure that his product truly serves his customers. Pretty good winning with class plan for a business…
3. A related point – Jeff maintains high standards for his product as he made clear when he stated its first customer is HIM and his family. So, as he said, no corners will be cut. This is what it means to be genuine and accountable and how we should approach all of our pursuits.
4. Great story about how Jeff's entrepreneurial spirit started – during his job at Arby's. This is a great way to look at every job you have – own all of the aspects of YOUR JOB as its own small business and then make sure it's then done to the absolute best of your ability. Instead of seeing some of your jobs while growing up as just meaningless parts of a big business, treat them like YOUR own little small business and manage it like no other. This seems to have served Jeff well.
5. One of Jeff's main points about blazing his own trail in business is that there is no room for excuses. It's a results driven game and if something happens, it's on the person in the mirror - YOU. Again..pretty good way to remain accountable.
6. Jeff makes a great point about how high school football helped teach him to live by this "no excuses" mentality. As Jeff tells the story, none of his coaches cared about the Jeff's teammate's excuse of being held when the other team scored….Bottom line is the other team scored. This is a great way to live – forget coming up with excuses and focus on the results.
7. Jeff makes a great and timely point about our society in general – how we're all WAY more alike than we've been programmed to believe recently. It's time to get back to focusing on what we have in common as opposed to how we are different.

Please follow Jeff and MTE:

Website: www.getmte.com

Instagram: @get_mte

Coach Rhett Lashlee

2023 Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year Award Finalist 2023 Dave Campbell's Texas Football Co-Coach of the Year 2023 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award Finalist 2023 Maxwell Football Club National Coach of The Year Award Semi-Finalist

Head Coach Rhett Lashlee enters his third season as Head Coach for SMU in 2024. Coach Lashlee has been the driving force in leading the Mustangs' return to prominence in his first two years as the leader of the program, highlighted by a championship season in his second year, going 11-3 and undefeated in AAC play (8-0).

Lashlee made history on Dec. 2, 2023, with a 26-14 victory over No. 22 Tulane in the AAC Championship game, giving the Mustangs their first conference championship since 1984 and 12th overall as a program. It was the first outright conference title won by the school since 1982. The historic campaign led to a fifth straight year of being bowl eligible, the longest stretch in program history.

Lashlee, who served as offensive coordinator for the Mustangs for two seasons (2018-19), also served as the offensive coordinator at Miami in 2020 and 2021. A one-time finalist (2013) and two-time semifinalist (2019, 2020) for the Broyles Award (top assistant college coach), Lashlee has the distinction of being the only coach ever nominated for the Broyles Award four different times at four different schools (Arkansas State, Auburn, SMU, Miami).

He is married to the former Lauren Lee. They have twin sons, Thomas and Hudson, and twin daughters, Rowyn, and Scarlet.

Some of the specific takeaways from our conversation:

Takeaways:

1. Being content. Coach Lashlee talked about this as one of the main lessons he learned as he made his way through the process of being an assistant coach, hoping to get to the head coaching level at some point. He talked about acknowledging that you're never in complete control of everything anyway. So, it's just best to let the process take care of itself. As he said, if you're not good where you are, the next big thing isn't gonna happen anyway. So, focus on being good where you are now. Once he made that mindset change, it all worked out…and he was able to enjoy the 10 years of being an assistant which included interviewing for several jobs that he didn't get. We all need to remember this in terms of how we chase our goals.
2. Being genuine. I love how coach said he desired to reach a level where other people might look at him and want what he had inside him. For this to happen and to truly make such an impact with people you have to really walk the walk. It's gotta be genuine and real. Otherwise, they'll all see through you and your credibility will be shot - and nobody will be impacted by you, and nobody will want to follow you.
3. Being intentional and accountable in terms of living your priorities. If you notice, this is a pattern we're seeing in successful leaders. In today's fast paced world filled with so many distractions, we simply must take control and be intentional. Or we'll soon start finding ourselves off track most of the time. Coach mentioned how he tries to make sure he focuses on getting what he needs priority wise - like quiet or prayer time. He does this so he can fill himself up - so he can be of better service and IMPACT on those around him.
4. Be accountable and have people around you to hold you to who you are. Coach mentioned that he likes to have strong assistants around him in football to do so. More importantly, he talked about a powerful and annual discussion he has with his wife every year where he asks her - is my family suffering because of my job? He then says if so, you say word and I'm out. What a great example of LIVING your priorities and being willing to be accountable. We should all strive for the courage to maintain our priorities in this way.
5. Coach's keys to his program.
   • Family. No better vision for a program.
   • Competitive excellence. Coach mentioned the key difference between competing WITH each other - like brothers and the notion of iron sharpening iron - and competing AGAINST the opponent on Saturdays.
   • Hard work. Coach holds high standards for effort.
   • Be FINISHERS. Coach mentioned how this applies to sports and life - being a finisher in terms of how you do EVERYTHING. It's so easy to start things…but nothing matters unless we FINISH them. Great word for all of us.
6. Winning with Class as a sign of strength and security. Coach mentioned how it's the OPPOSITE of soft.

Please follow The Mustangs and Coach Lashlee:

Links:

Website: www.smumustangs.com

Instagram: @rhett_lashlee; @sjmufb

X: @rhettlashlee; @SMUFB

The Foundation

Hilinski's Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization formed to promote awareness and education of mental health and wellness for student athletes. The Foundation's mission is to educate, advocate, and eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness, while funding programs that provide student-athletes with the tools and resources that support their mental health and wellness.

The Hilinski's Hope Foundation (H3H) was founded in 2018 by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the life of their son Tyler. H3H helps colleges and universities save lives, eliminate stigma, and scale mental wellness programs for student-athletes. H3H does this by sharing Tyler's story, connecting students with mental health resources, and assisting universities to institutionalize best practices.

H3H envisions a world where mental health is supported in parity with physical health and equally prioritized by universities as connected to athletic performance.

Meet Tyler

Tyler was one of the three Hilinski boys, all of whom fell in love with football early. They were teammates, brothers, and best friends.

Tyler enrolled at Upland High School and won the starting job as their quarterback. Tyler's junior and senior seasons were record setting and as fun as it could ever be - it was pure joy to see him excel at his craft. Many awards followed. A two-time All CIF selection at quarterback, All Baseline league offensive MVP and for the county, all state Quarterback as selected by Cal Hi Sports among them. Working closely with his coaches and mentors, Tyler began his habit of watching and breaking down film. This would continue to be a strength he would develop highly at the next level.

What is more fun to remember is Tyler as our "Superman". He simply refused to quit trying to charge, lead, and win for his team - even to the point of scrambling for what seemed like hours letting his line and receivers adjust while Tyler found the best option down the field.

Coach Ken Wilson at WSU recruited Tyler during his Junior year. Ty spent many hours on the phone talking to WSU Head Coach Mike Leach. They really hit it off and soon after Tyler committed to WSU over Cal and others. He was on his way…

Many describe Tyler as the happiest person in any room and on any field. He always had a smile on his face and kind words for his friends and teammates. Tyler threw his first touchdown at WSU as a red-shirt sophomore in the Arizona game, a 71-yard bomb to River Cracraft. But, perhaps Tyler will best be remembered for his play in the Boise State game. Ty was put into the game in the 4th quarter with less than 10 minutes to play and WSU was down 31-10. Three overtimes later, Tyler threw the game winning touchdown to Jamal Morrow. WSU fans rushed the field and the WSU players hoisted Tyler on their shoulders. From that moment on, Ty became known as the "Comeback Kid".

Just a few months later Tyler died by suicide on January 16, 2018. Tyler never showed any signs of depression or struggle. On the day he passed he went to football practice at 7am but failed to show up for the team's afternoon weightlifting session.

Tyler was a good and kind son, brother, friend, and teammate. For years, he wore a wrist band that said, "Gehrig's Grit, Never Quit" (his maternal grandmother passed away from ALS when he was 10). He gave the ALS wristband out to many friends and teammates. Ty was also wearing his Superman bracelet his Mom, Kym, had just given him 3 weeks before on Christmas.

Although Tyler always believed in happy endings and that good was around every corner, Tyler simply couldn't endure the pain he must have been suffering. He passed away wearing that Gehrig's Grit wrist band. We are so lucky to have shared 21 awesome years with Tyler.

Please remember Tyler with love and do three good things every day.

Takeaways:

Some of the specific takeaways from our conversation:

1. Get help. This is the bottom line. If there is even a question as to whether or not something is going on inside you and you don't understand, just go talk to somebody. You heard Tyler's father say, "if Tyler had just spoken to somebody.." The stigma of asking for help is going down, largely in part to Hilinski's Hope. Let's keep it going that way.
2. Also, let's all look for signs in others. We may see some that make a difference and we may see some that turn out to be nothing. And sometimes there may not be any to find. But it NEVER hurts to speak up and see what's there if you see somebody you know who may seem a bit off track.
3. Seeing mental illness as a disease. One of Mark and Kym's messages is that we need to start treating this like any other type of diagnosis by getting the help we need and helping others get the help they need. Mark pointed out how we rally around others with various types of illnesses, and we need to start doing the same for those struggling with mental health instead of treating it like we need to sweep it under the rug.
4. Some answers will never come. This is frustrating, but it is still part of the mystery of mental health today. So, that leaves a void, and we have to be careful how we fill it – because, as you heard, it's often a go-to or automatic feeling to feel guilty. We have to be on guard not to go there just because something happened.
5. Tyler as an example of Winning with Class. As you heard from Mark and Kym, after leading Washington State to an incredible comeback triple overtime win against Boise State, Tyler was carried off the field. Did he enjoy it – yes. Did he also want to be put down quickly – yes. Tyler was about the team and didn't want the individual attention. And, on his walk away from the stadium with his Mom, he simply asked her "Did that just happen?" Tyler was a clear warrior who simply willed his team to win who then followed it up with a very humble conversation with his mom.
6. Hilinski's Hope – As that example of winning with class from Tyler showed, Mark and Kym provided a strong foundation for their kids. Now, through Hilinski's Hope, they're helping others build their foundations by understanding mental health. We need to follow their lead and continue to learn all we can about this disease as a part of the building of our own internal foundations.

Please follow Hilinski's Hope:

Links:

Hilinski's Hope Website

Hilinski's Hope Instagram

Hilinski's Hope X

UNIT3D Podcast - with its NEW host - RYAN Hilinski!

ESPN's E60 Sports Emmy award-winning "Hilinski's Hope: One Family's Football Story" documentary

Cara Brookins is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, #1 best-selling author of nine books, and renowned thought leader in the science of motivation. Her actionable strategies empower audiences worldwide to overcome odds that seem insurmountable and thrive in any situation.

Brookins is best known as the mom who built her own house with her kids using YouTube Tutorials. With her eager construction crew consisting of her four young children, Brookins laid the block, framed the walls, and even ran the plumbing and gas lines for her 3,500 square foot house. She shared her story in her #1 best-selling memoir Rise: How a House Built a Family.

Brookins' incredible story went viral amassing more than two billion views in over 100 countries in two weeks' time. Media outlets including The New York Times, The Today Show, Ripley's Believe It or Not, NBC, CBS News, USA Today, TIME, TLC, ABC News, BBC, Fox News Insider, People Magazine, and CNN have featured Cara's compelling journey, and it's been optioned for film, television, and reality television.

With two decades of experience working as a senior software analyst and no construction experience, Brookins was the least likely person to build anything — let alone a house. The idea that ordinary people can do extraordinary things is a constant in her work, including her latest self-help book Unstuck: End Procrastination Using The Ancient Psychology Behind How-To Videos and is why she was inducted as a member of the prestigious Society for the Science of Motivation and the National Speaker Association.

Told through stories on her unconventional family construction site, Brookins' entertaining keynotes reveal proven strategies to overcome odds that seem insurmountable. Brookins has shared her motivation strategies with the world's most respected organizations, including Walmart, Google, Kimberly Clark, YouTube, CenturyLink, Artemis, US Law Network, Lincoln Financial Group, Capital One, and many more. She also works with the United Nations in her role as a United Nations Association Advocate to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Takeaways:

Some of the specific takeaways from our conversation:

1. Punching back. Could life have been punching Cara any harder? We've all been in situations where life just seems to punch us relentlessly. A lot of times, it can seem truly HOPELESS. Cara was there. Until she started punching back. In doing so, Cara proved that it's never hopeless – even if all you have is…YOU. When life appears to give you no options – sometimes you gotta go out and make your own.
2. Committing to your BIG goal. Once we figure out a big goal that we MUST achieve – and sometimes it takes getting backed into a corner to realize it - we need to fully commit to it. Within a week of having the idea to build her house, Cara bought the land where she was going to build it. She was all in. She had burned the boats. Cara explained how we need to present our new plan as THE plan to our own brains, so it won't find another easier path for us to follow. Then go at it with all you have – simply refusing to let ANYTHING get in the way.
3. Pride. How many of us have said the words I just mentioned – All In. Burn the Boats. No going back. But, then stopped because we were embarrassed about how the pursuit would look, how stupid we would look – either in the process or, God forbid, if we failed. Cara let none of that stop her – from the very beginning when she said she wasn't afraid to get rejected by the first few banks she approached for a loan. This continued throughout the building of her house. I love how she said she was willing to try 100 ways and didn't care how stupid she looked. How many times have we all stopped short because of pride, of being embarrassed, of what others would think?
4. Consistent small wins leading to the big win and building a team in the process. Cara talked about the momentum that was built as she and her children got started working together. They got satisfaction from learning how to use a tool. From completing a wall. And all of the other small wins that went into building each part of the house. All of these were steps that brought them closer to the vision of the house that they kept close by – whether it was a picture or a model of the house or where certain pieces of furniture would be once the house was finished. More importantly, they got to know each other as a family. Each of their talents came out and they bonded as they came closer to their goal.
5. Rise/fall structure of book. I love how Cara structured her book – as she said, she followed a rise and fall process to the book. Her reasoning? Because THAT IS LIFE. This is the reality we all need to face. Enjoy the wins and bounce back and learn from the losses – because, as Cara said, neither of them will last forever.
6. Foundation. As you know, this is probably the word I've said most on this podcast. It's part of the goal of this show – to help us all build our own strong internal foundations. Cara said that building the foundation of her house was the hardest. Yet, it's also something she would never change. It was through this hard process that her family bonded and started to transfer from victims running from life to a family that was making a stand and taking charge of their lives. When they were done with the house, Cara wondered if it was all worth it…until she heard her son say to her daughter "you built your own house, you can do anything." This is why Cara's book has such a great title – how HOUSE built a FAMILY. The family foundation – and the internal foundations of each member of the family – was set for life. This is how we all need to approach the building of our own internal foundations – do the hard work – do whatever it takes to build them in the right way, made of the right things, built to last because then….we too can do anything.

Please follow Cara:

Links:

Website: https://www.carabrookins.com Books: Rise, How a House Built a Family and Unstuck, End Procrastination Using Ancient Psychology Behind How-To VideosInstagram: @carabrookins Twitter: @cmbrookins Podcast: The Cara Brookins Show