What separates leaders who continue to grow from those who get stuck in their ways? The willingness to keep learning.

In this episode of Apex Performance, Dr. Anthony Simmons explores the power of a growth mindset and why intellectual curiosity, continuous learning, and the ability to rethink what we believe are essential to effective leadership.

Drawing from his 28-year Navy career, educational experiences, and personal leadership journey, Dr. Simmons shares how embracing challenges, learning from failure, and strengthening both emotional intelligence (EQ) and intellectual capability (IQ) can improve leadership performance.

He also examines the difference between a learn-it-all and a know-it-all mentality, the importance of building a culture of learning, and how preparation, adaptability, and self-improvement create opportunities for lasting success.

Because great leadership isn't about knowing everything. It's about remaining curious, challenging what you know, and never losing the desire to grow.

Are you leading intentionally, or simply reacting to the next problem that lands in front of you?

In this episode of Apex Performance, Dr. Anthony Simmons explores intentional leadership, the discipline of getting “to the left of the problem” before challenges become crises. He explains why proactive leadership requires deliberate thinking, clear communication, disciplined planning, and empowering people to act rather than waiting for problems to appear.

Drawing from his 28-year Navy career and experience commanding high-performance teams, Dr. Simmons examines how leaders can navigate uncertainty, eliminate costly surprises, create accountability, and build a culture where information flows early and problems are addressed before they escalate.

The takeaway: great leadership isn’t about becoming better at reacting to crises. It’s about creating the people, systems, communication, and discipline that prevent many of those crises from happening in the first place.

Is working hard and performing well enough to move your career forward?

In this episode of Apex Performance, Dr. Anthony Simmons challenges the idea that talent and hard work alone determine career success. Instead, he explores the powerful intersection between preparation and opportunity, and why both are necessary for lasting professional growth.

Drawing from more than three decades of leadership experience, including his career as a Naval officer, Dr. Simmons explains how individuals can intentionally prepare themselves through continuous learning, challenging assignments, professional development, coaching, strategic relationships, and a willingness to make sacrifices for long-term goals.

He also examines the responsibility organizations and leaders have to create cultures of encouragement where employees are coached, developed, given meaningful feedback, and provided opportunities to expand their skills and advance.

From championing your own career to championing the careers of others, this episode offers a practical look at what happens when preparation finally meets opportunity.

Because opportunity may open the door, but preparation determines whether you’re ready to walk through it.

Why do some people achieve success only to lose momentum, while others continue growing, adapting, and excelling?

In this episode of Apex Performance, Dr. Anthony Simmons introduces his Five Dimensions of Enduring Success: Desire, Determination, Dedication, Discipline, and Discovery. Together, these five dimensions provide a pathway to turn a vision into action and transform individual achievement into lasting excellence.

Dr. Simmons explains an important distinction between achieving success and being successful. Desire gives you the vision. Determination moves you to act. Dedication keeps you committed through obstacles. But discipline and discovery are what help sustain success over time.

Through lessons from his experiences as a collegiate athlete, Naval officer, executive leader, and scholar-practitioner, Dr. Simmons explores the power of daily rituals, resilience, preparation, and continuous self-assessment. He also shares a deeply personal lesson from his Naval career about what can happen when achievement becomes more important than remaining aligned with your values and purpose.

The message is clear: Success isn’t a single event. Enduring success requires you to keep doing what created the win while continually reassessing whether where you’re going still aligns with who you are.

As Dr. Simmons puts it, make your victory lap the jump-start to your next race.

In this episode of Apex Performance Podcast, Dr. Anthony Simmons explores what it takes to successfully coach, lead, and build relationships across cultures.

Drawing from more than three decades of global leadership and Navy experience, Dr. Simmons explains why cultural intelligence requires more than knowledge. It requires empathy, curiosity, communication, and real world experience.

From Japan and South Korea to West Africa, China, and South America, he shares lessons learned working directly with different cultures and reveals why leaders must connect before demonstrating competence.

You’ll discover how cultural awareness, empathy, and understanding different values can strengthen trust, improve collaboration, and create cultural harmony.

The key takeaway is simple: Great global leaders don’t design for people. They design with them.

Why do some organizations consistently outperform others, even when they have access to the same talent, technology, and resources?

The answer isn't strategy alone. It's culture.

In this episode of APEX Performance Podcast, executive leader, scholar-practitioner, and retired U.S. Navy Captain Dr. Anthony Simmons explores why organizational culture is the true engine behind sustainable excellence. Drawing on decades of military leadership, executive experience, and organizational research, Dr. Simmons explains how purposeful cultures are built through discipline, daily habits, shared values, and intentional leadership rather than slogans posted on the wall.

You'll discover why culture drives performance, how authentic relationships create trust, and why leaders must operationalize their organization's values through consistent behaviors and rituals. Dr. Simmons examines the four primary organizational culture models, hierarchy, clan, market, and adhocracy, while introducing his own blended "neo-culture" approach that helps organizations become more adaptable, collaborative, innovative, and accountable in today's rapidly changing business environment.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Simmons shares powerful leadership lessons from commanding the USS Lassen, including how developing future leaders became his greatest measure of success. He discusses practical strategies for mentoring employees, creating cross-generational collaboration, empowering teams through coaching, building psychological safety, and fostering environments where people feel valued, trusted, and inspired to contribute at their highest level.

Dr. Simmons also explains why discipline should never be confused with punishment, why excellence is built through intentional rituals, and how leaders can bridge generational differences by creating cultures rooted in appreciation, accountability, belonging, and shared purpose. His message is clear: organizations don't become exceptional by accident. They become exceptional because leaders intentionally build cultures where excellence becomes a daily habit.

Whether you're a CEO, executive, military leader, manager, entrepreneur, or aspiring leader, this episode provides practical frameworks for creating high-performing teams, strengthening organizational culture, and leading with purpose in an increasingly complex world.

Trust doesn't happen by chance—it begins with communication.

In this episode of the Apex Performance Podcast, Dr. Anthony Simmons explores why effective communication is one of the most essential leadership skills for building trust, strengthening workplace relationships, and creating high-performing organizations. Drawing from decades of leadership experience, academic research, and military service, Dr. Simmons explains how leaders can move beyond one-way communication and embrace meaningful, two-way dialogue that fosters collaboration, psychological safety, and organizational excellence.

Discover why communication is more than simply speaking—it's about listening with intention, encouraging feedback, and creating environments where every voice is valued. Learn how town halls, coaching conversations, affinity groups, and leadership by walking around can improve employee engagement, strengthen workplace culture, and transform organizational performance.

Dr. Simmons also discusses the role of emotional intelligence, empathy, vulnerability, and transparency in leadership, showing how authentic communication builds trust, reduces burnout, empowers teams, and creates lasting connections across every generation in today's workplace.

Whether you're an executive, manager, military leader, entrepreneur, or aspiring leader, this episode offers practical leadership strategies to improve communication, inspire trust, and develop a culture where people feel heard, valued, and motivated to perform at their best.

Tune in to discover why communication is the bridge to trust—and why leaders who communicate with clarity, authenticity, and empathy create organizations where people and performance thrive.

What separates organizations that consistently grow from those that struggle with turnover, burnout, and disengaged teams?

In this episode of the APEX Performance Podcast, Dr. Anthony Simmons explains why leadership coaching is no longer optional. It's the defining characteristic of organizations that develop future leaders, build trust, and create cultures where people perform at their highest level.

Drawing on more than three decades of leadership experience as a U.S. Navy commanding officer, executive coach, and scholar practitioner, Dr. Simmons shares how coaching differs from managing, mentoring, and directing. He reveals why today's leaders must connect before they lead, create environments built on trust, encourage continuous feedback, and empower others to grow through experience rather than control.

Through compelling stories from his naval command, Dr. Simmons demonstrates how allowing people to make mistakes, fostering psychological safety, and developing leadership at every level creates resilient, high-performing teams prepared to thrive in times of uncertainty and change. He also introduces practical coaching frameworks that help leaders improve communication, strengthen succession planning, reduce burnout, and build organizations where leadership becomes everyone's responsibility.

Whether you're leading a business, a military unit, a nonprofit, or a growing team, this episode provides practical strategies to help you become the kind of leader who develops people, strengthens culture, and creates lasting organizational excellence.

Because great leaders don't create followers.

They coach others to become leaders.