At The Podium with Manuel Amezcua

Mateen Cleaves is a retired NBA basketball player and a National Champion with the 2000 Michigan State men's basketball team under head coach Tom Izzo. He currently serves as a leadership coach at United Wholesale Mortgage. In my chat with Mateen, we chart his rise as a highly successful player at Michigan State University and the story of the 2000 National Title team under Tom Izzo. Mateen sh...

Ben Newman is a highly regarded Performance Coach, International Speaker and Best-Selling Author. Ben serves as a Mental Conditioning Coach for the 18-time National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide football team and has worked with players from the last 4 Super Bowl Champion teams. Real Leaders Magazine selected him as one of their 2019, 2020, 2022 TOP 50 Speakers in the World. In this episode, Ben a...

A career in professional sport so often includes uncertainty and unforeseen obstacles. For Andy Wagstaff, his dream of making it as a pro soccer player did not pan out quite as he hoped, but due to an unerring determination and healthy foresight, he has been able to ride the waves to an amazing career in coaching and academy leadership. Andy is now the head coach of the Flint City Bucks, as well a...

LaMarr Woodley is a Retired NFL athlete, Super Bowl Champion, and former All-American linebacker at the University of Michigan. LaMarr is a great example of someone who gave his all for his love and talent for football, but created space for an amazing second act with the birth of his film production company, Area 56 Entertainment.  In this conversation with LaMarr, we go deep into his ascent in t...

Taiwan Jones is a retired NFL Athlete and owner of Transformation Lab, a gym based out of Sterling Heights, MI. Taiwan tells me about his experience getting bullied as a kid and how it made him into the man he is today. In our conversation, we hear about his early experiences in the NFL as a top-performing athlete, the ups and downs that professional football put him through, when he knew it was t...

Folks, this week, I’m re-sharing my conversation with United Wholesale Mortgage CEO, Mat Ishbia, in hopes it can provide you with the mindset shift you need to dominate the rest of the year and set yourself up for success in 2023.  So often I find I make elaborate plans to avoid failure. I can be afraid to make the decision to implement a big change or take a big risk to try to further myself beca...

Taking your expertise in a certain field and converting it into a consultancy business is such a powerful way to level up your professional life. This is exactly what today's guests did, and we are so happy to sit down with Marti McLeish and Stephanie Murphy to talk about how they combined their powers to build the remarkable Noble Co, through which they help business owners get clear on their...

We've had the privilege of talking to many of the great leaders and champions of today, but in this episode, we're handing the mic over to the champions of tomorrow. Manuel is joined by his kids, Ava (14) and Atlas (12), to talk about the support our future stars need in pursuit of their dreams.  Ava and Atlas demonstrate the impact parents' behaviors have on their children and explain...

Achieving our unique vision for life takes consistent hard work, focus, and recognizing the micro-wins along the way. On this episode, entrepreneur, creator, and storyteller, Chad Miles joins me to talk about exactly he’s attacked his unique vision for life and how he’s approached the many pivots he’s made along the way.  In our conversation, he talks about the noble pursuit of becoming better eve...

Folks, we're bringing back our most downloaded episode of all-time with mental performance coach Lauren Johnson. This conversation is packed with value for both our long time listeners and so many of our new followers that have recently joined us. Enjoy. Lauren Johnson is a mental performance coach and speaker. She is the founder of Lauren Johnson & Co and recently served as Mental Conditi...

Taybor Pepper is a professional NFL player for the San Fransisco 49ers. As a long snapper, Pepper was one of the top-rated high school recruits and played 4 seasons of college football at Michigan State University.  In this episode, Taybor shares the story behind his college recruitment process and how he ALMOST attended his rival school. Next, Taybor takes us behind the scenes of his journey ente...

AJ Troup is an LA-based actor and writer as well as a former college football player at Michigan State University. In this episode, AJ shares his journey from overcoming 3 ACL injuries, walking on to play football at Michigan State, how his first catch was a TD, and how he transitioned into a successful acting career. AJ shares the inspiration behind his powerful short film, "If Given the Chan...

Andy Frye is a journalist and sports writer who has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports including Tom Brady, Shaq, Usain Bolt, Lindsey Vonn, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and more. His work has been featured in ESPN, Forbes, and Rolling Stone.  In this episode, Manny and Andy talk about how to turn your passions into a career and how Andy left his 9 to 5 to become a full-time writer. And...

Manuel and Samantha Amezcua are a dynamic husband and wife duo. Manuel Amezcua serves as the CEO @ MassMutual Great Lakes and is the Founder of the Podium Group and Samantha Amezcua serves as the CEO of the Amezcua Family Enterprise and works within the Amezcua home. Together, these two CEOs talk about how to gain clarity and confidence in yourself so you can show up as your best for your teammate...

Joe Jordan is a retired Financial Services Executive and now an inspirational speaker, behavioral finance expert, and best-selling author of "Living a Life of Significance".  In this episode, Manuel Amezcua and Joe Jordan talk about the future of the financial services industry, the major change that is occurring, and how to be prepared. They also talk about the qualities needed for succes...

Lee Rubin is a keynote speaker, author, and nationally recognized expert on building high-performing teams. In this episode, Manny and Lee talk about the 5 requirements to building ANY effective team, the one thing leaders can do to keep top performers from disengaging and leaving, and his one hiring tip to ensure ANYONE you hire is a good fit for your team. If you are leading a team in sports, bu...

Janelle Miller is the Vice President of Marketing & Talent at Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE). Janelle represents clients like Terry Bradshaw, Roquan Smith of the Chicago Bears, and JD Martinez of the Boston Red Sox.  In this episode, Janelle shares her story of dreaming of finding a career in sports and her path to becoming one of the most powerful women in the business of sports...

Joey Davenport is the President and Co-Founder of the Hoopis Performance Network (HPN). In this conversation, Joey shares the #1 mistake advisors are making and how to tactically correct it. He and Manny discuss how to increase advisor retention and ONE THING advisors typically stop doing in year two that they shouldn't. Lastly, Joey talks about the importance of internships and mentorship and...

Ty Mopkins is a creative designer and brand consultant who has collaborated with some of the world's biggest brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Fila, Starter, and New Era Cap company. In this episode of At The Podium with Manuel Amezcua, Ty shares his story of growing up in Detroit and the important life lessons he learned from his mom and his community. He shares the story of a Starter jacket...

Bennie Fowler III is a retired NFL Wide Receiver, Super Bowl Champion, former Michigan State Spartan, and now an entrepreneur and leadership coach and consultant. In this episode, Bennie Fowler and Manuel Amezcua talk about the importance of relationship capital and how to build relationship capital with the right people. They talk about Bennie's transition from pro sports to the business worl...

Steven Kalkanis, M.D., CEO of the Henry Ford Medical Group (HFMG) and Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Henry Ford Health System, provides strategic leadership and direction over the 1,900-member HFMG physicians and researchers responsible for all aspects of clinical performance across 40 specialties.  In this episode, Dr. Kalkanis speaks on mentorship, the important role mentors...

Steve Orosco is a former Wall Street broker, turned MMA fighter, turned gym owner, and is now running for Senate of the United States. Steve "Hulk Smash" Orosco is the CEO of SMASH GLOBAL and owner of Smash HQ.  In this episode of At The Podium with Manuel Amezcua, Steve and Manny talk about what it means to a humble savage and why everyone should strive to become one. Steve talks about th...

Lance Tyson is a bestselling author and industry leader with more than 30 years focused on sales training and consulting for some of the biggest brands in the world such as the Dallas Cowboys, Red Gold Tomatoes, Eli Lilly, and Topgolf. He serves as President and CEO of the Tyson Group, a leading sales training organization.  In this episode, Lance and Manny talk about the sales techniques and sale...

John Vermiglio is a restaurateur and chef, most known for his Detroit-based restaurants: Grey Ghost Detroit, Second Best, and Basan Detroit (coming soon). Earning his stripes in Chicago with chefs Art Smith, Graham Elliot, and Charlie Trotter, Vermiglio returned to his hometown to start building a restaurant empire in Detroit.  In this episode, John and Manny talk about how John identifies and ret...

Michigan State University legend, retired Professional Basketball Player, and Financial Advisor, Paul Davis, joins Manuel Amezcua At The Podium.  Hear Paul Davis share his thoughts on how Tom Izzo treats and impacts players at Michigan State, his journey to overcome adversity to play professional basketball, and how he's found a fulfilling career after sports. LISTEN / SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST...