Winning with Class

Tim is the author of The Secret Society of Success and host of the Build a Winning Team podcast, where he challenges people to consider "helping others win" as the North Star for how they should live and lead.

He's also the CEO of David Novak Leadership, a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation whose mission is to make the world a better place by developing better leaders at every stage of life. As the CEO of Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut), David Novak grew the business from $4 billion to $32 billion and he did it by creating a culture of recognition where every employee felt seen and valued for what they contributed. And now, these leadership lessons are being taught in companies and to students all over the world through the nonprofit David has entrusted Tim to lead.

Early in his career, Tim spent a decade launching two brands — StoryBrand and Business Made Simple — as COO alongside New York Times bestselling author Donald Miller. And before that, he worked at TOMS and Apple Inc.

Tim lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Katie, and their two kids.

Takeaways:

1. Helping Others Win. This is such a great way to think about success that we don't think about enough. Tim makes the point that success through the assist or serving somebody else's vision and goals - is just as important as any other type or level of success. Tim does such a great job of displaying this through the stories he tells about Michael Collins getting people to the moon and Tim Cook working on the iPhone as part of a team and then taking it to the next level by deflecting credit about it personally.
2. Related point - you're never going to do anything great alone. Eventually, to do big things, you'll need a team. And, you can't be great at everything, so it's inevitable that you'll have to take a second seat to others at some time in some areas. So, having this notion of "assist" as a measure of success is critical.
3. Given this - that we'll need teams around us to go to great places - if you don't care about winning with class, then, as Tim says - nobody will want to follow you or be around you. Just another reminder of WHY winning with class is so important.
4. Recognition. This really goes for ALL of the teams we are on - from our families, to sports teams, to communities, businesses and beyond. Giving and receiving recognition is absolutely critical. Everybody has unique gifts. The more we are recognized for using them for the benefit of the team, the more we will be inspired to use them even more to take the team to bigger and better places.
5. Being in the Secret Society doesn't mean throttling back your ambition. As Tim says, we should always strive to be best in class - the best we can be at all we do. Instead, the Secret Society is about thinking of other people - the team first - as you chase this best-in-class level. As Tim tells the story - NCAA Champion Coach Dan Hurley is a fan of this philosophy. It's hard to find a more competitive guy than Coach Hurley - yet he does it all within the consistent context of TEAM in mind...or it doesn't work.

Please follow Tim:

Links:

Book: The Secret Society of SuccessInstagram: @timschurrer Twitter: @timschurrer Podcast: Build a Winning Team Website: buildawinningteam.com

Coach Lew is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for UNC Charlotte Football. Caralla spent the previous four years as the Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach at Georgia Tech and served as the head strength and conditioning coach for three different NCAA Division I FBS programs before making his way to Atlanta. Caralla was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Buffalo in 2018 following stints as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Louisiana-Lafayette (2016-17) and North Texas (2015). He was named Football Scoop's 2018 Strength Coach of the Year during his time at Buffalo.

He served as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Michigan for three years (2012-14), at Mississippi State for one (2011) and at Georgia Tech. His career began with an internship at South Florida in 2007. He was an intern at Virginia in 2008 and became a graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2009-10.

Coach Lew is the author of Fire Lighters, 365 – Daily Motivational Messages for Athletes, Coaches, and Leaders. Originally from Tarpon Springs, Fla., Caralla graduated with a bachelor's degree in wellness and corporate fitness from Defiance (Ohio) in 2008. He was a two-time all-conference running back and earned academic all-conference accolades twice. He received a master's degree in kinesiology from Mississippi State in 2010. Caralla and his wife, Lori, have three children: Marshall, Ali, and Ava.

Takeaways:

1. Coach Lew is a great example of the benefit of starting from ground zero and just grinding your way up…The adversity in being let go multiple times, working crazy hours for very little pay, moving the family with little notice and more…All of this led Coach Lew to where he is and gives him instant credibility for all the great lessons he teaches. There are no shortcuts.
2. Coach Lew had a great answer to the question he gets frequently – why are these workouts so hard? - Coach Lew is coaching LIFE. And Life is NOT fair all the time. So, his answer is - are these workouts fair all the time? No. But you're gonna get through it, you'll do it with teammates, so that in the end, you will be better and so will our team. Great way to look at challenges – even when they seem unfair.
3. Consistency is critical and much more intimidating than any flexing for great play. It's the people who never change no matter what happens. Their effort and process are the same. You can count on them – always. As Coach Lew said, as a competitor, that's a dangerous person…
4. The difference between satisfied, hungry, or starving??? To get to really great places, we need to be STARVING. Do you have life habits that show you are starving? Are you doing extra? As Coach Lew says, separation is available – are you taking advantage of it? In sports…in life?
5. 1 day contract: Coach Lew asks - If you were going to be hired or fired by your effort TODAY, what would it be? As coach says, I bet your urgency would go up! So, let's all commit to a one-day contract with ourselves – every day.
6. Can you admit your own potential? As Coach Lew says – this is a tough one. Looking in the mirror and comparing yourself to your potential is daunting. Can you do it? More importantly, do you accept the challenge to close the gap between that person in the mirror and his or her potential?
7. Coke v. water bottle. This one is great because it really encompasses a lot of all we talked about, if not all. If you live your life, pursue your goals, and chase that best version of yourself with discipline and in line with solid core values, and do so in a humble manner – winning with class in all that we do – then being that bottle of water as opposed to the bottle of coke will never be a problem for you.

Please follow Coach Lew:

Links:

Fire Lighters 365: Daily Motivational Messages For Coaches, Athletes and Leaders by Lew Caralla

Follow Lew on Instagram

Follow Lew on X

Rachel Baribeau is an Award-winning Storyteller, Inspirational Speaker, Author (Relentless Joy: Finding Freedom, Passion, and Happiness (Even When You Have to Fight for It)), Changing the Narrative Founder, Transformative Coach, Host of the Joystarters™ Podcast, First Female SiriusXM ESPNU Host (College Sports Nation), and Former National Sportscaster.

In 2016, while working in her role as a national sportscaster, Rachel penned a piece for Gridiron Now entitled, "College Football is Breaking My Heart." The game she loved was becoming unrecognizable. Negative news stories dominated the game, and no campus seemed immune. Most broadcasters would have left it at that.

Not Rachel. Rachel developed the #ImChangingtheNarrative movement with lost souls and student-athletes in mind and a belief that one crooked course made straight is everything.

While the message originated as purpose, passion, and platform, over a seven-year span and 80-plus campuses, it now has spread to corporations, churches, prisons, halfway houses, high schools, junior highs, K-5, LEO, and more! Her topics have expanded to mental health, being a KING/QUEEN/ROYAL every day of your life, finding JOY/purpose, and interpersonal relationships, as Rachel was a victim of domestic violence herself.

Takeaways:

1. Change the narrative – changing the narrative starts with each of us starting to pay attention to how WE are living…are we IN THE GAME to make it better? When we see bad things happen or bad trends developing are we the type who will say something? Or will we just go with the flow…Rachel started a movement because she spoke up – in a big way – when she realized she was seeing something that broke her heart…we need to do the same…
2. You've got to put in the work – we all have good, bad, and ugly in our lives. It's up to us to cultivate the JOY in our lives by looking at ourselves, figuring out what it takes to fill our own cups, and then going after it with all we've got.
3. Use your experiences to help others – see how Rachel feeds off helping people by telling her story…it's a place we all need to be – while we're on our way to filling our own cup, we need to be vulnerable and reach out and help others do the same.

Please follow Rachel:

Links:

Website: www.rachelbaribeau.com

Instagram: @rachelbaribeau

Twitter: @RachelBaribeau

YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/RachelBaribeau

Haesue Jo, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Head of Clinical Operations, BetterHelp.

BetterHelp was founded in 2013 to remove the traditional barriers to therapy and make mental health care more accessible to everyone. Today, it is the world's largest therapy service — providing professional, affordable, and personalized therapy in a convenient online format. BetterHelp's network of over 30,000 licensed therapists has helped millions of people take ownership of their mental health and work towards their personal goals. As the unmet need for mental health services continues to grow, BetterHelp is committed to expanding access to therapy globally.

Takeaways:

• The stigma is fading, so please do not let it hold you back from speaking to somebody if you need to! Mental health is something we ALL need to focus on regularly!
• There are also things we can do on our own. First, we need to be intentional about our mental health – just as we are with our physical health. Do we have good mental health habits? Is our internal foundation based on strong values and priorities? Are we allowing things inside us that will strengthen our internal foundation or weaken it? Then, are we living our lives in such a way that is in line with the foundation we've built and will therefore lead to a fulfilling life?
• The more we do all of this..build strong foundations…seek long term fulfillment and get help when we need it along the way…the more at peace we will be. This will not only benefit us, but those around us as well.

Links:

For more about BetterHelp, please visit the link below. Help is there for you.

• https://www.betterhelp.com
• @betterhelp

Darren and Stacy Horst's 17-year-old daughter Erin was a gentle and talented girl who faced many challenges, primarily what is formerly known as Asperger's Syndrome. The couple lost Erin too soon, but they aspire to allow her compassionate spirit to live on through charity. The Horst family founded Erin's Hope for Friends in loving memory of Erin to help teens struggling with autism make meaningful and lasting social connections.

Founded in 2014 in metro Atlanta, Erin's Hope for Friends welcomes members to connect at E's Club locations. These spaces provide opportunities for conversation, games, creativity, and friendships. Programming appeals to the interests of members, increases social interactions and supports neuro-diverse relationships.

Takeaways:

1. Human Life - it's time we start getting back to having a basic respect for it. Sounds simple and like something we don't need to discuss. But we've all seen it - violence and basic disrespect all over the place. Whether it's on the news, social media, in how we talk, how we treat each other, how we treat people in authority...the list goes on far too long. We simply never know how we treat somebody else is going to affect them - why not start from a place of respect...seems simple doesn't it?
2. Stacy and Darren were punched about as hard as you can be punched by life. And they relied on a life-sustaining, strengthening priority in their life - for them, it was their faith - and it served as the launching pad for their positive moves very shortly after enduring the loss of Erin. We simply never know when life will punch us and how...what priorities are we keeping and LIVING on a regular basis, so our INTERNAL FOUNDATIONS will be strong enough to not only take the hit, but to keep moving forward afterward.
3. There is ALWAYS a positive choice in terms of responding to even the toughest of challenges. For Stacy and Darren, it came quickly. For some, it may take longer. You just have to breathe, dig deep, and let it come to you.

Links:

For more about Erin's Hope for Friends, please visit the link below and help if you can!

https://www.erinshopeforfriends.org

Through 33 seasons as a head coach, including the last 23 years at the helm of Virginia's program, Swanson has established himself as one of the elite coaches in collegiate soccer, and certainly one of the most respected. Swanson has led his teams to six conference championships, 28 NCAA Tournament appearances and 32 consecutive winning seasons during his 33-year career. He also has accumulated over 470 career wins as a head coach making him one of a small group of NCAA Division I women's soccer coaches to hit the 400-win milestone.

Takeaways:

1. Coach mentioned one of the things he thinks about when recruiting. A lot of time he looks for "special skills" or skills that make the player stand out. I think it's something we all have to think about - what special skills do WE have? And, are there some special skills we could develop to help us increase the impact we have on those around us?
2. Related to that - two things coach mentioned that he notices in players that excel at a high level
   1. The ability to handle adversity and failure in the right way. More importantly, Coach Swanson noted that this talent can be cultivated - we can build it over time. This is great news - we can build ourselves from within with each loss or setback. So, after your next loss, handle it with class and move on as a better, stronger version of yourself.
   2. And, then, once you've handled the adversity...and sometimes even if you've won...you have to have the stamina to go to come back the next time - and invest same or usually MORE. For this to happen, Coach said that we need to fall in love with the process...that process of PROGRESS. If we can do this, then there are no limits on where we can go...

Links: For more about Coach Swanson, please visit:

https://virginiasports.com/coach/steve-swanson/

Kevin Kuwik was named Army West Point's Lee Anderson Head Men's Basketball Coach on March 29, 2023. Kuwik becomes the 32nd head coach in the program's 121-year history. Coach Kuwik is a great fit for this opportunity, as you will hear on this episode. As you will also hear, the reason for this goes far beyond his abilities as a coach. Kuwik was a Distinguished Military Graduate in Notre Dame's Army ROTC program. He was able to serve 10 years in the military as he also began his coaching career. While coaching at Ohio University, Coach Kuwik took an 18-month leave of absence as he was commissioned as second lieutenant at age 22 and soon became a platoon leader of 45 soldiers in Iraq. While serving in Iraq, he earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service (the Army's highest merit award). He used leave time to return to the Bobcats bench and help Ohio win the 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament title and reach the NCAA Tournament. He received an honorable discharge from the military in 2006. Prior to getting the call to become the head coach at Army, Coach Kuwik spent time on the coaching staff of high-quality programs including Ohio U, Butler, Ohio State, and Davidson.

Also included in Coach Kuwik's story is a display of his great leadership skills as well as his drive to turn negative into positive during tragic circumstances. On February 12, 2009, the plane that was carrying Kevin's then girlfriend, Lorin Maurer, crashed, taking the lives of all on board. Kevin, driven by seeing his girlfriend's father suffer, soon committed to turn a negative into a positive. He spearheaded a crusade which became an organized effort to demand reforms to federal aviation safety standards that still stand today. The safety legislation enacted as a result of their efforts is working….as Coach indicates in the episode, since the legislation, there have been no commercial airline crashes.

Army is without a doubt getting a great coach to lead their basketball program. He will produce wins on the court, but, more importantly, he will build and develop men we will be proud to have represent us all, not only as graduates of West Point, but also as sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, and leaders of our country in whatever endeavors they choose to pursue.

Takeaways:

1. Be a doer. Coach Kuwik mentions the difference between one who just complains and one who takes action. Coach had every right to take time and just concentrate on his own suffering after the tragic plane crash that took somebody very close to him. Taking the time to process such a difficult situation is more than acceptable. However, there were safety issues that needed to be addressed and changed. Coach could have just let it go and complained about how unfair life was. Instead, he chose to act and turn a negative into a positive. The result was one that continues to save lives today.
2. Do the hard and right thing knowing that somebody will notice and be impacted. When Coach Kuwik got his notice that he was being deployed, there was some question as to whether he had satisfied his obligation and the thought crossed his mind to challenge it. Then, he thought of the impact that would have the current and future players he was coaching and how they would listen to him in the future about the concept of commitment. Coach Kuwik headed to Iraq to serve his country.
3. Balance having DRIVE and AMBITION for the NEST STEP with being PRESENT. As coach Kuwik describes, all assistant coaches want to be a head coach someday. He also recognizes that if you focus on that all the time, you will NOT do a good job in your current role as an assistant. Having ambition for the future is great and we all need that, but it should never come at the expense of the job we are currently doing. Be the best you can NOW, then work on making gradual progress toward the future.
4. APPRECIATE OUR COUNTRY. Coach Kuwik's service in Iraq made him appreciate how good we have it in this country. You can have differences with others, and it has never been and never will be perfect. However, it's pretty much as good as it gets in terms of how free and blessed we are. Let's always try to remember this and, as Coach Kuwik said, let's try to live in a way that would make those who sacrificed for us proud.

Links:

Kevin Kuwik - The Army West Point's Lee Anderson Head Men's Basketball Coach

Dennis Papadatos enters his ninth season as Hofstra University's Head Wrestling Coach in 2022-23. A two-time NCAA Division I NCAA National Championship qualifier for the Pride, Papadatos was named the 12th head coach in the history of the Hofsra University Wrestling program on August 4, 2014.

Coach Papadatos is a very open and honest coach who believes that if you build and maintain certain success principles and apply them in all areas of your life, success will come. More importantly, if you focus on being a good human being all the time, the wins on the mat as a wrestler will follow as well. This leads to a culture of not only winning, but also of building strong people and life-long relationships. Winning with Class is honored to feature Coach Papadatos, and we look forward to staying in contact with him, his wrestlers, and his program.

Takeaways:

1. Coach Papadatos mentioned quickly that his go-to early as a wrestler himself was "I'm going to outwork everybody." Is there a better place to start than that in terms of building our internal foundation? NOBODY has ever regretted working hard - and if you start there, the rewards will come.
2. Related to the first one, the succession or process of winning Coach Papadatos talked about in terms of going from WANTING...to HOPING...to BELIEVING...to EXPECTING to win...it's all related to the PREPARATION you're willing to put into anything you do. Maximum preparation - committing to outworking everybody - will lead to that expectation level of winning and success. The resulting level of confidence that follows will build a potential inside you that is simply limitless.
3. Transparency. Coach mentioned that he starts on the recruiting trip - before the wrestler is ever in his program - by being honest with the recruit that wrestling is hard, wrestling in college is even tougher, and, transitioning into being an adult while you're doing this is even harder than that. Coach is extremely upfront and transparent starting then and throughout the wrestler's career under him. We all need this type of transparency - with ourselves and in terms of having transparent people in our lives. The more transparency we have and surround ourselves with, the better we can take on and overcome the challenges that will come our way - in sports and in life.

Links:

• To follow Coach Papadatos and his Hofstra wrestling team, please see: https://gohofstra.com/sports/wrestling

Chris Singleton is a former professional athlete drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017. Following the loss of his mother in a racially motivated mass shooting, Chris has now become an inspirational speaker and best-selling author who has shared his message of unity and racial reconciliation with NFL and NBA teams as well as multiple Fortune 500 companies across the country. He shares with over 100 organizations and over 30,000 students annually and resides with his spouse Mariana and 3 children in Charleston, SC.

Takeaways:

1. When Chris needed it most at the most critical moment in his life, his true foundation came out and allowed him to take a major part in an amazingly positive response to an incredibly tragic situation. What are YOU pouring into your foundation on a regular basis that will be there when YOU may need it? What would happen today if YOU had to go on auto pilot and respond to extreme adversity?
2. We all have our stances on issues. Are YOU capable of LISTENING to the STORIES behind the stances of others? Can you listen and have a conversation with a goal of finding COMMON GROUND? We all struggle with this and we can all learn from Chris's book - go to his website below to buy a copy!
3. How do you handle the attention you get when you make a positive impact on somebody? Is there somebody who looks up to you? Chris was called a hero by a young boy after Chris handled his mother's loss. Chris was proud and thankful - but then immediately turned to his responsibility to live up to that label and still keeps in touch with that boy and his family to this day. Will you live up to the positive labels given to you by those who admire you or look up to you? Make it happen.
4. Chris has a MISSION to promote UNITY. What is YOUR MISSION to positively impact those around you?

Links

• Please check out Chris's new book, Stories behind Stances: Creating Empathy Through Hearing "The Other Side" by going to www.chrissingleton.com.

Please welcome Danielle Green to the show! Danielle is a Wounded Warrior Spokesperson which has her traveling the country, telling her story. Prior to moving to Wounded Warrior, Danielle served other warriors for 12 years in the Department of Veterans Affairs. At the 2015 ESPYs, Danielle received the Pat Tillman Award for Service. You can take a look at Danielle's ESPY speech in the list of links below. Danielle Green is one of life's true warriors. This includes the time she served in the Army, but it actually began much earlier than that. Danielle grew up in very difficult circumstances in Chicago, raised by her mother in drug infested surroundings. She not only survived it, she thrived through it. Inspired by Notre Dame football games she would watch on Saturday afternoons partly as an escape from her surroundings, and the military commercials that would play during those games, Danielle went on a mission to play basketball at Notre Dame and then to serve in the military. She accomplished both. During her visit with Winning with Class, we discuss her journey on this mission and how the Wounded Warriors Project changed her life…and how she returned the favor by helping other veterans heal from their injuries on all levels. We are thankful for Danielle's service and we are proud to feature her and the Wounded Warrior Project and all of the inspiration and life lessons that come from both! Takeaways: 1. Sometimes you have to make your own path when things get hard – and there is ALWAYS a way. 2. Life will punch you. And at times, it will KEEP punching you. You win by getting back up. You win with class by getting back up and continuing on a mission that is bigger than you. 3. It is possible to be BOTH a WARRIOR and to radiate positivity. 4. Danielle gave her left arm for her country, for us, as Americans. Let's live our lives in such a way that earn her sacrifice as much as we can. Links – Please see more on the Wounded Warrior Project and Danielle by visiting the following:

• www.woundedwarriorproject.org
• https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org/Danielle-Green
• Please watch her amazing speech here: https://youtu.be/Wr18fpkPjkw?si=IXKX668a5BdlEdGl