Compete Every Day with Jake Thompson | A Show for Driven Leaders

Today, I dive into the one decision you should consider  most heading into a new month and the upcoming election. All of the attention (or shouting) on social media is why you have to vote for this person or that person. It's taking attention away from who you should really consider casting a ballot for and putting your faith in this year. Connect with us on Instagram: @CompeteEveryDay @Compe...

To be a leader is to have the ability to impact other people’s lives. It’s not about the title, the status, or the amount of money you make; it’s about being a positive influence on those around you. That’s why it doesn’t just appear in the boardroom. There are leaders everywhere — even in the most unexpected places. This week, podcast host and author Jason Romano talks about the importance of ser...

It can be easy to get stuck in a mental prison where your outlook on life focuses on your fears and insecurities, rather than your potential. It takes self-awareness and a willingness to challenge your inner voice to break free of these internal weights holding you down. This week, author and mental architect Lucas Jadin talks about the power of mental preparation and resiliency and how to commit...

For Ryan Hawk, learning the importance of practice and patience came at an early age. When he was 14 and a freshman in high school, he never expected to play on his school’s varsity football team. He spent months training hard and learning from the best. When the first game of the year came around, he was put on the field and ultimately threw the game-winning touchdown pass. Looking back, he reali...

For Jon Gordon, life has been a journey and faith has been at the core of it all. In his early 30s, he entered into a time of questioning and exploration. It led him to read about different religions and types of spirituality and by the time he was in his mid-30s, he decided he wanted to get baptized. Through these varied experiences, Gordon learned to identify his core purpose in life, which he s...

Former guest Kip Watson, the founder of BrainCode Corp , joins this week's BONUS episode to discuss the world of sports during covid-19, how parents & youth athletes can manage the grief, pain, and heartbreak of league cancellations, and the importance of personal responsibility in overcoming pain. To learn more about Kip's work, visit BrainCodeCorp.com .

For Jim Hensel, it all came down to one very important conversation. Facing a challenging time with his work and family, he found himself in the car with his uncle one day. His uncle told him it was time to take responsibility for his life and where it had gone. It was the spark that lit the fire for Hensel and set him on the path toward accountability and self-determination. Shortly thereafter, h...

Moving mountains starts with a single rock. For Lindsey Wilson, visualizing the future she wants to create is what helps her prepare for the monumental task of getting there. A former professional basketball player and current full-time entrepreneur and mom, Wilson has relied on mindfulness work on and off the court for decades. This week, she shares tips for building a positive mindset, even in a...

For John Wooley, the journey from posting a few CrossFit memes on an Instagram account to having more than 250,000 followers on his now-iconic fitness satire page was a surprising one. He says he’s always been able to find humor in things, but never expected something personal to gain such a large and widespread following. And now that he’s found his voice, he says it’s important for him to use it...

For Tola Ogunlewe, the only thing that’s certain is that at some point, things will change. Whether it’s this year, next year, or a decade down the line, something will shift the course of your life. Whether or not you’re prepared for that change can make all the difference in how successful and satisfied you are once it happens. This week, Ogunlewe talks about transitioning in and out of sports a...

Grant Parr defined himself as an athlete. For years, he played every sport he could; he was a quarterback, ran track and field, played baseball, and more. But when he was in college, an injury threw his life off course. He gave up sports and for decades, avoided walking down memory lane. He wanted to keep the past in the past and not revisit the games he felt he couldn’t play anymore. In his late...

From his humble beginnings in Pennsylvania to his successful acting career in Hollywood, Dan Cortese has walked many different paths in life. He worked the graveyard shift at a steel mill to put himself through college and left home to pursue the California dream. He landed a job as the host of MTV Sports and later became a well-known side character on the popular show, Seinfeld. He’s since writte...

The way to success is focus and consistency. You have to put in the work, day in and day out, with clear goals in mind. That’s a lesson from this week’s guest, author, entrepreneur, and Crossfit champ Jason Khalipa. He shares his story of growing a company and becoming one of the fittest men in the world. After his daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, Khalipa had to re-center himself and his goal...

How you carry yourself as a leader can affect every facet of your team. Whether you’re a doctor, a manager, a team captain, or in another leadership role, your attitude and approach will shape the way your superiors, employees, and co-workers interact with each other and you. This week, retired CIA intelligence officer Marc Polymeropolous talks about building strong leadership skills and finding c...

One of the messages Colin Bado wants everyone to hear is that it’s OK to need help sometimes. Everyone experiences challenging moments in life. For some people, it may come in the form of longstanding mental health issues. For others, it may be a single experience that brings them to their lowest point. Part of learning to build a good relationship with yourself is knowing when you can’t do it on...

Something that many athletes and top performers have in common is a story of overcoming adversity. For former New York City firefighter and elite athlete Matt Long, personal challenges have shaped the course of his life. In 2005, Long was hit by a bus. He spent weeks in a coma and months in the hospital, where he endured several surgeries. When he got out of the hospital, he found the mental part...

Learning to recognize the things that are holding you back can be a helpful tool step toward making meaningful change in your life. Even if you have 100 good habits that you practice, just a single bad habit can hinder the effectiveness of all the rest. This week, author and psychology professor Amy Morin shares tips for working through challenges and building the mental strength you need to reach...

There’s a difference between giving up just because something gets hard and knowing when it’s time to make a change in your life. That’s one of the key messages from this week’s guest, entrepreneur and speaker Christopher J. Wirth. Wirth has built his life around the “No Quit” message, but says that doesn’t mean it’s good to stick with things when they are no longer serving a useful or healthy pur...

There are many things that have become unsettled in our world. Our daily routines have changed and some opportunities we may have had a few months ago have been put on hold, while others have arisen through the changes. This week, Arizona Diamondbacks Mental Skills Coordinator Zach Brandon talks about the benefits of practicing mindfulness and intentionality, and shares ideas on how to return to a...

The realm of sports is ripe for teaching young people and athletes important skills they can use and put to work for the rest of their lives. For coaches, it takes being able to turn words like “character” and “competition” into behaviors and traits that athletes can see and feel. Once those ideas become tangible, they can be learned and developed. This week, author and teacher Dr. Ralph Pim share...

When you wake up each morning, your life could unfold in a thousand different and unexpected ways. Each day comes with new challenges, some of which you never could have predicted. Now, more than ever, many of us are learning to live within change we didn’t see coming. We are adapting to a new normal, which will continue to fluctuate and be reshaped with every passing day. This week, author, podca...

It’s important to do things that bring you fulfillment. While people may say it’s bad to quit, it’s critical to know when the time is right for you to step away from something and seek out a new avenue to explore. Likewise, it’s important to consider if you’re doing the best you can or if there are aspects of your life or interactions that could use some improvement. This week, author, speaker, an...

Patrick Allmond is a fan of the phrase, “done is better than perfect.” That’s because actually doing something, even if it’s not done perfectly, is more productive than spending your time worrying it will be wrong. Allmond calls the tendency we have to get stalled out while trying to make decisions analysis paralysis . This week, he shares tips for overcoming this inability to choose and learning...

If you want to make real and lasting change in your work environment, you have to start from a place of clarity about your actual situation. You have to understand where you are at relative to your company’s mission and what things are in your control to change for better outcomes. This week, author and speaker David Burkus shares ideas for finding what your team will fight for, and understanding...

Emotional intelligence is key to living a balanced and healthy life. It means learning to understand and manage your own emotions and the emotions of those around you. It takes introspection and space to get in touch with your own needs and pace. This week, sports management professional, author, and keynote speaker Will Baggett talks about showing up ready to give your best and taking a step back...