We break down how to pair courage with humility so leaders can act with conviction, invite feedback, and keep learning without sliding into arrogance. Stories from sports and sales make the ideas practical and repeatable for work and home.

• personal mastery theme with a focus on confident humility
• examples from Gandhi, Joe Gibbs, and NBA leadership
• confidence as reps and skill building over time
• Dunning–Kruger effect and how to avoid overconfidence
• accountability circles and consent before giving advice
• sales lessons on listening, service, and curiosity
• practical questions to spot blind spots and stay grounded
• teaser for next episode on curiosity and continuous learning

Thank you, Carolina Bays Real Estate and Construction, the Modern Homes Podcast, and McLeod Health for the support.

A bowl game should feel bigger than four quarters, and that’s exactly what we’ve built on the Grand Strand. We sit down with Tony Ferrante to unpack how the Myrtle Beach Bowl moved from an ambitious idea in 2018 to a nationally televised showcase that lifts players, fans, and the local economy—all while keeping the beach-town heart intact.

Tony takes us behind the scenes on the ESPN partnership and conference tie-ins with the Sun Belt, MAC, and Conference USA, explaining why Myrtle Beach stood out: a unique destination, strong civic support, and a perfect venue at Brooks Stadium in Conway. We talk through the 2020 launch during COVID, the careful operations it demanded, and the steady growth since—measured in attendance, broadcast viewership, and hotel nights that fuel small businesses through the holidays. You’ll hear how selections really happen, including last year’s Coastal Carolina storyline and what it means to prepare when you might learn your teams minutes before the reveal.

We go deep on what makes a great bowl experience for student-athletes: extra practice time for coaches, real rewards off the field, and thoughtful touches like team nights at Dave & Buster’s and Topgolf. Tony shares insights from three decades in college athletics at Troy—what travel itineraries work, which details matter most to players, and how consistent processes keep chaos out of game week. We also dive into community and sponsorship strategy: why local partners like Visit Myrtle Beach and the chambers are essential, how brands benefit from aligning with a rising regional event, and simple marketing moves that stand out, like swag people actually keep.

If you care about sports business, leadership, or the magic that happens when a city rallies behind an idea, you’ll find a playbook worth borrowing. The Myrtle Beach Bowl kicks off Friday, December 19 at noon. Join us, subscribe for more behind-the-scenes conversations, and leave a review to tell us who you want to see take the field next.

Think about the last time you wrote someone off with a quick label—she’s not a closer, he’s not a people person, they won’t click with that client. That tiny sentence didn’t just describe reality; it helped create it. We dig into the real difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, why leaders’ words ripple through a team, and how small shifts in language can transform performance, accountability, and morale.

Rob and Nick lay out a practical playbook for leaders who want results without burning out their people. We explore how to turn failures into data, why recognition should connect to skills learned (not just outcomes), and how to set up blameless postmortems that reveal where the Swiss cheese holes lined up. You’ll hear simple phrase swaps that move conversations from labels to learning, plus a candid look at balancing growth with role fit, time constraints, and ROI. Matching people to their natural strengths matters; teaching the next high-leverage skill matters even more.

We also talk about what a 360 feedback process really shows, how to ask smarter questions in reviews, and why managers have to adopt a growth mindset themselves before expecting it from others. Expect clear tools you can use today: self-assess prompts for employees, recognition that sticks, and scripts for turning customer issues into trust-building moments. If you lead a business, a team, or a community group, these habits will help you build a culture where people choose ownership, practice deliberately, and see progress they can feel.

Enjoy the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a leader who needs it, and leave a quick review so more people can find us. Your feedback helps us grow too.

What happens when you pay to get “kidnapped” and come back with a mission? We sit down with speaker, author, and nonprofit founder Gina Casazza to trace the wild path from Hollywood sets and stand-up stages to a civilian SEER course where she learned the survival lesson that changed everything: belonging and fitting in are not the same. That insight became a children’s book, a school assembly program, and Empower Lit, a nonprofit designed to raise reading scores and self-esteem at the same time.

Gina shares how training with Team Eagle One, a Navy SEAL–led program, rewired her mindset about resilience, fear, and follow-through. She breaks down the moment she stopped trying to “fit” and chose to belong, and how that shift liberated her to create, teach, and lead. We dig into the literacy crisis—why only about 30 percent of students read at grade level, how over-testing and reduced creativity sap curiosity, and why kids need inspiration before instruction. Gina’s approach is practical and bold: bring authors into schools, make reading fun, secure funding so budgets aren’t a barrier, and launch a teen publishing pipeline that teaches editing, marketing, and entrepreneurial skills.

This conversation is also a toolkit for anyone feeling stuck. Gina explains why action precedes motivation, how to handle the steep early learning curve without quitting, and the daily question she asks to keep momentum: what is one thing I can do today that moves me forward tomorrow? We explore social media’s impact on kids’ confidence, the lost art of communication, and the simple truth that stories—especially our own—can be a lifeline for someone else.

If you care about education, youth mental health, or building a legacy that lasts, you’ll find strategies you can use right away. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review to help more people discover the show. Your story might be the spark someone’s waiting for.

What if the most effective leadership style isn’t loud, sharp, or performative—but clear, considerate, and generous? We dive into personal mastery and a practical framework for “kind leadership” that sets real boundaries without getting soft, trades vagueness for clarity, and replaces hustle myths with habits that actually scale. Along the way, we unpack the daily rhythms that move the needle: intentional time, deep focus, and single-task sprints that beat multitasking; simple breathwork and short mantras to reset during overwhelm; and a steady learning practice—books, audiobooks, or podcasts—linked to action so ideas become results.

We talk about why early mornings can be powerful but reframe the real advantage as intentionality: protect quiet hours, block deep work, and batch communication to cut context switching. We explore resilience through reading history, where leaders weathered fierce pushback and kept going, and we connect that perspective to delayed gratification—planting seeds now for a harvest that arrives months later. You’ll hear a grounded take on sleep, movement, and nutrition as leadership hygiene, not vanity; gratitude as a stabilizer that shifts teams out of scarcity and into momentum; and habit stacking to make new routines stick by anchoring them to what you already do well.

The throughline is simple: kindness is a performance advantage when paired with clarity. Say what you mean without saying it mean. Set expectations people can act on. Then build the small systems that keep you steady—top-three priorities, five pages of learning, a single thank-you, one breathing cycle before a hard call. If this resonates, hit follow, share this with a colleague who’s building their own leadership habits, and leave a quick review with the one practice you’re committing to this week. Your insight might be the stack someone else needs.

Doubt can be a compass. When that “I don’t belong here” voice shows up, it often means you’re standing at the edge of growth. We dig into imposter syndrome without fluff, showing why self-awareness is a leadership advantage and how to turn shaky moments into steady moves forward.

We start by reframing fear as fuel and share practical anchors you can use in any high-stakes room: visualization tied to purpose, the “smile file” of wins that prove your impact, and a “frown file” that clarifies the standards you refuse to slip below. From there, we lay out a strengths-based playbook—name it, aim it, claim it—so you can deploy what you do best exactly where it counts. You’ll hear how preparation dissolves anxiety, why a personal glossary and one-page crib sheets beat posturing, and how to ask clean, specific questions that keep you credible while you learn.

We also pull the lens back to team culture. If a whole group feels like an imposter, the fix is shared purpose, visible wins, and simple habits—tight agendas, pre-work, post-mortems—that reward truth over theater. And because leadership doesn’t stop at the office door, we address a hard public moment with a call to humanize opponents and choose language that builds rather than burns. Positivity here isn’t pretending; it’s believing tomorrow can be better if we act with intent today.

If you’re ready to turn doubt into a data point and lead with clarity under pressure, this conversation is your field guide. Subscribe for more practical leadership tools, share this with a colleague who needs the boost, and leave a review with one tactic you’ll try this week—we’ll feature our favorites on the show.

Ever wondered why some leaders seem to navigate workplace tensions with ease while others create chaos wherever they go? The secret lies in emotional intelligence—a foundational leadership skill that transforms good managers into exceptional leaders.

Rob Clemens and Nick DeStefano dive deep into the world of emotional intelligence, revealing why it matters and how to develop it. They break down the two critical components of EQ: internal awareness (recognizing and naming your own emotions) and social awareness (perceiving emotions in others). Far from being just another "soft skill," emotional intelligence determines how effectively you can lead yourself before attempting to lead others.

The hosts share personal stories of EQ failures and successes, offering candid insights about times when emotions got the better of them. Rob confesses to childhood outbursts throwing wiffle ball bats when striking out, while Nick recounts a recent work situation where he felt attacked and had to pause to regulate his response. These vulnerable moments highlight a crucial truth: everyone struggles with emotional regulation sometimes, but awareness is the first step toward improvement.

Perhaps most importantly, the episode challenges the outdated notion that emotions have no place in business. As Rob pointedly states, "If you're keeping emotions out of business, you can keep the humans out of business." Instead of pretending feelings don't exist, emotionally intelligent leaders create environments where emotions can be acknowledged appropriately while still maintaining focus on shared goals.

Whether you're leading a team of hundreds or simply want to understand yourself better, this conversation offers practical strategies for developing greater emotional awareness and regulation. As the hosts suggest, sometimes the simplest technique—pausing before responding—can be the most powerful tool in your emotional intelligence toolkit.

Ready to transform your leadership through emotional intelligence? Listen now, and don't forget to share your biggest EQ challenges with us on social media!

What makes someone a true leader versus just a person with authority? In this thought-provoking conversation between Rob Clemens and leadership coach Nick DeStefano, we dive deep into the critical foundation of all effective leadership: mastering self-leadership before attempting to lead others.

The discussion begins by challenging conventional wisdom about what leadership truly means. Rather than viewing it as a distant goal tied to position or title, Nick and Rob reveal how leadership is fundamentally a trait anyone can embody right now. They share personal stories of struggling with self-doubt and explore how awareness of our own defense mechanisms can transform our leadership potential.

One of the most powerful segments tackles imposter syndrome head-on. That nagging feeling of "I don't belong here" affects leaders at all levels, but as Nick explains, the secret isn't eliminating these feelings but recognizing them and choosing courageous action anyway. Rob captures this perfectly with his observation that "fear is an opportunity to be brave."

Through real-world examples, from a hospital tour that demonstrated patient-centered thinking to the busboy who takes initiative when no one is serving your table, they illustrate how leadership manifests in unexpected places. The conversation repeatedly returns to a simple yet profound truth: effective leadership stems from genuine care for others rather than self-interest.

Whether you're currently in a formal leadership position, aspiring to lead in the future, or simply want to have greater positive influence in your daily interactions, this episode offers practical wisdom on the self-awareness, consistency, and mindset shifts that create truly transformative leadership. Ask yourself: are you pursuing leadership for personal glory, or to genuinely make others' lives better?