Intentional Performers

This week's podcast is with Alex Banyan. I was fortunate to be introduced to Alex from previous guest, Cal Fussman. I recently finished reading Alex's (in 5 days) and I highly recommend it.  The day before his freshman year final exams, ALEX BANAYAN hacked The Price Is Right, won a sailboat, sold it, and used the prize money to fund his quest to learn from the world’s most successful people. Since...

Basketball has taken Tony Ronzone all over the world. He played professionally overseas in New Zealand and began his coaching career as the youngest head coach in New Zealand history (age 22). He also held head coaching positions with the Saudi Arabian National Team (1992) and United Arab Emirates Team (1992-1997). Since 1997 Tony has worked in the front office of the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pis...

I grew up watching Brian Grant compete during his 12-year career in the NBA. And I intentionally used the word "compete" because Brian played his tail off. He went up against bigger players like Shaq, and seemed to never blink an eye. He had a ferocity about him that I loved. He played with a chip on his shoulder.  In this episode, you will hear Brian discuss his unique and surprising journey to t...

Mitch Aguiar is a former Navy SEAL, an MMA fighter, and entrepreneur. This episode starts with Mitch and I simply having a conversation, which turned into a fascinating talk that ranged from his upbringing, going through BUDS, serving 10 years as a SEAL, some of the physical and mental challenges he's faced in his journey, fighting MMA, and starting his own clothing company. Mitch lives by the man...

Julie Elion has been my mentor for the past 10 years. Along the way she has provided me insight, advice, and she always seems to know when to ask the right question. I owe much of my career to Julie. Julie has developed one of the premier sport psychology practices in the professional golf world. She is currently working with multiple players on the PGA Tour, including winners of multiple major to...

Former Washington Post assistant managing editor George Solomon joins Brian Levenson to discuss the challenges of editing. During his tenure, he got to work with sports journalism legends including Michael Wilbon  Tony Korhnheiser, and Sally Jenkins. George also served as the 1st ombudsman for ESPN. He now works at the University of Maryland as a sports journalism professor and was inducted into t...

Sports Agent and expert negotiator Ron Shapiro joined Brian Levenson to talk about how he got into the industry. He has had quite a journey as an author, attorney (after attending Harvard Law school) and he became Maryland State Securities Commissioner in his late 20's. He has worked as a consultant with NBA teams including the Spurs, Nets, and Thunder and an agent for stars such as Cal Ripken and...

Mano Watsa, presently serves as the President of PGC Basketball. He joins Brian Levenson to discuss coaching and PGC basketball. If you don’t know about PGC, they provide intense, no-nonsense basketball training for players and coaches. Their basketball camps are designed to teach players of all positions to think the game and to be leaders on and off the court. They have served thousands of baske...

Respected immigrants’ activist Tolu Olubunmi joins Brian Levenson to discuss her unexpected journey searching for the American Dream, which started as an unemployed and undocumented chemical engineer. Her innovative thinking and desire for change have led to her becoming the founder and CEO of Lion’s Write which gives voices to the voiceless. Additionally, she was named one of 15 Women Changing th...

Interviewer extraordinaire Cal Fussman joins Brian Levenson to talk about how essential curiosity is in the realm of interviewing. Cal has interviewed some of the most famous people in the world ranging from Kobe Bryant to Al Pacino to Dr. Oz. He is also a best selling author and not surprisingly the host of a very popular Podcast called Big Questions. In this free flowing episode they discuss how...

High Performance Psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais joins Brian Levenson on this weeks podcast. Dr. Gervais is the co-founder of the company Compete to Create with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and has worked with the Seahawks, NBA players, and Microsoft. He is a renowned public speaker with a deep understanding of how to find clarity and thrive under pressure. In this episode they discus...

One of the most recognizable and successful lacrosse players and former MVP Paul Rabil joins Brian Levenson to discuss his time as a lacrosse player. Additionally, Paul is a great marketer through social media, which he has leveraged to enhance his brand. Paul is also very open about his work with a Sport Psychologist and remains fascinated by the psychology of performance.  In this episode, they...

Mario Romero joins Brian Levenson to share his thoughts and inspirations from humble beginnings leading to the process of him becoming a Navy SEAL and now his time as attempting to become an astronaut as he finishes graduate school at Columbia University. He shares wisdom from his past and how he is able to think against the grain to achieve his goals. The conversation touches on his difficult chi...

Houston sports radio host and freelance writer Sean Pendergast joins Brian Levenson to discuss his journey starting in sales before becoming a radio host (4:45), the value of money in relationship to happiness and the serendipitous moment that led to working in sports radio (12:00), and advice for college students on choosing a career (27:00). Then they talk about his transition to sports radio an...

Former NBA Player/Executive Danny Ferry joins the podcast to discuss being a star in high school for legendary Dematha coach Morgan Wooten (8:15). Growing up as part of a basketball family (12:20). Being recruited to Duke and Coach K's vision (16:40). How he handled stress while playing there (29:00). Then they talk about Danny’s time playing in the NBA starting as the #2 overall pick playing in I...

Dennys Lozada is tough. He is a Fitness Personal Trainer in New York City where he works at the Fhitting Room. He has over 10 years of experience, and his passion for helping people came across before we even turned the mics on. Dennys has worked at Under Armour/IMG Academy and with professional athletes from the Minnesota Twins (MLB), Timberwolves (NBA), Vikings (NFL), and Wild (NHL). Dennys is a...

Chief Melissa Hyatt has blended emotional intelligence with a fierce drive to become one of the highest ranking police officers in Baltimore. Even though she is diminutive in size, she never let that or her gender serve as an excuse for not achieving what she wanted to achieve. She credits valuing empathy and persistence as the reason that she's been able to get to where she is today--the highest...

Ben Olsen is the head coach of DC United. I have been fortunate to collaborate with Ben and get to know him as a coach, father, and human. He's an amazing guy. Ben is someone who has tremendous emotional intelligence and knows how to bring people with him on a journey. Ben had tremendous success as a player. In 1997, he was named the Soccer Player of the Year for the season he had at University of...

Hakim Warrick! If you went to Syracuse, like I did, this interview is going to be a trip down memory lane. If not, Hakim's story is still an incredible one. Hakim helped lead Syracuse University to a national championship, when I happened to be a freshman, and he probably had the most famous block in college basketball history--helping secure the win for his team. In this conversation, Hakim will...

Steve Schlafman is in transition. He worked at a Venture Capital (VC) firm for a number of years and recently decided to break off on his own. Before working as a VC he had jobs at places like Microsoft and The Kraft Group, and those experiences have left an impact on how Steve looks at his career. Steve is certainly passionate about technology, but he will also talk about relationships, habits, a...

Candace Parker is one of the best basketball players to ever lace up their sneakers. In high school, Candace won the 2003 and 2004 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Following high school, Candace attended powerhouse University Tennessee where she continued to drastically impact women's basketball as the team won back to back championships her Sophomore and Junior year. She won...

Jon Gordon is a best-selling author and keynote speaker who has impacted some of the most successful organizations in the world.  His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 15 books including 5 best-sellers: The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win...

Elton Brand had an NBA career that spanned 16 1/2 years. During that time, he was a two-time all-star and one of the top power forwards in the league. He entered the league as the first overall pick in 1999 where he became the co-rookie of the year. Before that, he had an illustrious career at Duke University.  In this conversation, we talk about Elton's mindset growing up and how his Mom helped h...

I was introduced to Yael by our previous guest, Joanna Lohman. And I am so happy we were able to connect. Yael is a professional soccer player, about to enter her 10th season as a pro. She's played all around the U.S. and the world and enjoys sharing her journey through the sport as well as encouraging young players to set goals to own their personal development. Yael also played college soccer at...

Hi All, Excited to share this bonus episode with you on this special holiday!  As you chow down on some delicious food and hopefully watch some great football, we are all reminded to ask the question; what are you grateful for? As we wind down the podcast in 2017, I want to sincerely thank each of you for taking the time to listen!  More to come in 2018! With Love, Brian