Posts in Inspiration
Chris Waddell on Embracing Vulnerability to Collaborate

Chris Waddell was Dalai Lama’s Unsung Hero for Compassion. He’s won 13 Paralympic medals. He’s in the Paralympic Hall of Fame. He’s in the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. NPR credited him with one of the best graduation speeches ever for his keynote at Middlebury College in 2011. He has won more medals than any male monoskier in Paralympic history.

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Devon Harris on Supreme Confidence

Devon Harris is an original member of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team and captain of the 1992 and 1998 teams. He’s a 3-time Olympian, and he achieved something that he could only have dreamed of having been brought up in Kingston, Jamaica. And yes, Devon and his teammates were the inspiration for the movie Cool Runnings.

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Jon Tuteur on Starting Over

Founder & CEO of Triple P Consulting LLC also a member of the Strong Skills team! Jon Tuteur is an Executive Coach, Facilitator, Speaker, Author, and Management Consultant with over 20 years of experience working across numerous industries including the U.S. Federal Government, State & Local Government, Nonprofit, Higher Education, Financial Services, Hospitality, Retail, Healthcare, Real Estate, High Tech, and Consulting.

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David Linn on Striving for Fearless Living

David Linn is the co-founder of Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers. Cycle for Survival has raised more than $340 million to support pioneering research and lifesaving clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), bringing new and better treatment options to people around the world. In addition to David’s active involvement with Cycle for Survival, he is an EVP and Board Member at Oak Point Partners.

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Brian Levenson Reflecting on Grandma Irene and Identity

Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different than the ones we’ve done in the past. I just had an inspiring experience that I thought would hopefully make all of us think a little bit more about our own identity, our own values, our ancestors, and how those experiences and the experiences of our family members impact us and how we see the world today.

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Stevo Luddy on Growth from Pain

Stephen Ludwig has amassed over 4 million followers across all platforms. As a young inspirational speaker, he delivered his life story to various audiences through high school. After noticing the extreme growth of social media, he aimed to build a brand that would spread the message of positivity in ways that public speaking simply could not.

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Michelle "Mace" Curran on Inspiring Others

Michelle Curran has led an impressive career as a Fighter Pilot during her 13 years in the United States Air Force. From 2019-2021, she flew as the only female pilot for the Air Force Thunderbirds and performed for millions across the country and internationally. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Michelle was a combat proven fighter pilot completing missions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

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Nate Boyer Acting on Dreams

Nate Boyer is a former active-duty Green Beret, he’s a world traveler, he’s involved with philanthropy and started his own non-profit, he’s a community leader, and he played in the NFL as a professional athlete with the Seattle Seahawks. At his core, Nate is a dreamer. He is someone who puts his eyes on a vision and gets after it. He has a new movie out called MVP that I highly recommend you check out, he has a non-profit that brings together vets and athletes as well, and he really loves to play at the intersection of different identities and different people.

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Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper on Building Eastside Golf

Olajuwon Ajanaku, the Founder of Eastside Golf grew up in East Atlanta. He gained a golf scholarship to Morehouse College and won a National Championship alongside his co-founder, Earl Cooper.

Earl Cooper is a PGA Professional and currently ranked as one of the best young teachers in America by Golf Digest. He has worked as the first African American golf professional at Detroit Golf Club and Wilmington Country Club.

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Joanne McCallie on Mental Health and Coaching Basketball

Joanne McCallie is a legendary basketball coach. She was named the ACC Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2012), and the Big Ten Coach of the Year once (2005). Additionally, she was a 3x America East Coach of the Year (1995, 1996, 1999). Joanne decided to retire from basketball, and she has been an advocate, and really been courageous in sharing her story around mental health and being bipolar. We get into a deep, enriching conversation, and it’s a conversation I truly feel we have to have.

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Gavin McClurg on Risk Taking

Gavin McClurg is no stranger to adventure and exploration. He is a 2015 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” for his unpowered paragliding expedition across the Canadian Rockies. He became the first person to traverse the full length of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider (unsupported) in 2016. He is the owner, founder and Captain of “Offshore Odysseys”, a global kitesurfing/surfing/sailing expedition. He has twice circumnavigated the world by sail, living at sea for 13 straight years, including short-handed roundings of both notorious capes (Horn and Good Hope).

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Damon West on Lessons Learned from Prison

Today, Damon West is a college professor who is nationally known keynote speaker and best-selling author. But, it wasn’t always as bright for Damon as it is today. At 20 years old, he was a division one starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he then suffered a career ending injury, turning to hardcore drugs to cope with the disappointments of his life. He robbed a lot of people, he became a burglar, and he ran an organized crime ring, ultimately leading to his incarceration. Damon went to jail for 7+ years. Damon’s story, in the end, is one of redemption, grit, and determination.

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Chris Singleton on Forgiveness and Impact

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 clients such as: Microsoft, Biogen, Houston Texans, Washington Wizards, etc.

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Steve Mesler on Being Bigger than Sports

Steve Mesler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Classroom Champions, a non-profit that brings together children and the world’s best athletes to mentor and teach kids the skills they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. After winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the 4-man bobsled at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, Steve was inspired to bring the values, lessons, and experiences he and his fellow Olympic and Paralympic athletes had gained through sport into classrooms.

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Astronaut Chris Cassidy from SEAL Teams to Space Teams

Chris Cassidy is currently an astronaut that was previously a Navy Seal from the Naval Academy. Chris was an honor graduate of basic underwater demolition with the Seal Buds Class 192, and he received a bronze star for his work leading a 9-day operation on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

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Rebecca Powers on Impact Philanthropy

In 2003, Rebecca Powers lost her brother and, as a result, founded Impact Austin, a collective giving organization that brings women and their financial resources together to make a profound impact in Central Texas. To date, the organization has put $7.4M to work helping the underserved. Rebecca has received multiple awards recognizing her leadership and speaks nationally inspiring women to connect their capacity to give with their confidence to do it well. She also mentors women in cities across the US as they form their own collectives.

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Nik Wallenda on Facing Fear

Nik Wallenda has 11 Guinness World Records and has completed a list of never-before-seen death defying feats. He has written his name in history as the king of the highwire. Additionally, Nik has performed live in every state in the US and all over the world. He has garnered the support from tens of millions of viewers on network television specials on ABC, The Discovery Channel, and others.

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Cara Brookins on Building

Cara Brookins built her own 3500 square foot house by using YouTube tutorials. The impetus for her decision to build that house with her four kids came after surviving domestic violence. When that occurred, she was faced with the stark challenge of providing for her children but with no means and no one to turn to but herself. In desperate need of a home, but without the means to buy one, she did something incredible: she built one from scratch

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