Intrinsic Drive®

Carwyn Sharp Ph. D. CSCS, emigrated from England to Australia with his family as a young boy.  Searching for new opportunities, Carwyn’s parents stressed the importance of education as a bridge over poverty and a gateway to an abundant life. Carwyn has followed his passions for sport, movement, and performance—fueling his personal life and extraordinary career. We follow this innovator in the fiel...

At five years old Rock Wilk realized he could sing, that same year his grandfather gave him a guitar. A self-taught musician, he spent hours alone in his room playing alongside jazz greats honing his craft. While a defensive back at Colorado State University, his creative writing teacher Bill Tremblay identified his immense talent telling his reluctant student he was a playwright.   Rock left coll...

Comfortable with a pen and paper from an early age, Becky Karush grew up writing poetry, creating art, and telling stories. After early success with her writing and poetry, during college she experienced a  fifteen-year wilderness period, leaving her unable to write. This extremely talented poet who learned the power of systems from a childhood friend, longed to find a process to harness her muse....

The deep south was a dangerous and treacherous place for a young black man in the 1960’s; Benny Vaughn drank from “colored” water fountains, pedaled away from viscous dogs while passing through white neighborhoods, and rode in the back of buses.  Benny turned hardships into opportunity through his actions. He was the first black athlete to win the Georgia state high school cross country championsh...

John Lee Dumas showed early signs of his dedication and commitment to process. He pivoted to swimming after injuries forced him to leave the soccer pitch and basketball court his senior year in high school. JLD quickly transformed one weakness in technique each day; in the final competition of the season, John touched the wall first, winning the Maine State Championship in the 50-yard freestyle.  ...

Sara Slattery   learned the importance of hard work from her father, watching him wake up at 4am while running his sign business.  She began her athletic career as a swimmer, training twice daily for several hours before and after school.  She joined her high school track team, merely as a way to stay in shape for swimming. As a freshman, she was state runner up in both the 800 and 3200 meters. Th...

The challenges continue, they keep coming, sometimes seemingly without end.  Conversations with the remarkable guests from Season Two elevated my spirit and provided me with tangible insights. I hope you glean inspiration from them as I did; the goal in life should be to lift each other up.  Here are my reflections and takeaways from our guests on Season Two: Marten Bostrom rebuilt his body, focus...

Stepping on a bomb was the last thing Sargent Zach Stinson remembered after insisting on leading his Marine Battalion while serving in Afghanistan. Six days later, Zach woke up at the Bethesda Navy Hospital - both legs were amputated above the knee, his right thumb, and parts of other fingers were also severed.   Zach stopped counting surgeries after the thirty-fifth.  He then came to realize his...

A trip to Alaska to follow the Salmon run changed the course of Chris Wood’s life; upon returning home he resigned from his job working for an ice cream company. Choosing a new path, Chris resolved to dedicate his life to saving endangered fish and waterways. He began his career as a temporary employee with the US Forest Service in Idaho where he quickly realized the power of learning from mentors...

Loretta Claiborne is the most accomplished Special Olympics athlete of all time. Loretta was raised by a single mother, born partially blind, with an intellectual disability, and clubbed feet.  This future marathon champion was unable to walk until the age of four and learned to talk at seven. Loretta’s strong mother had the courage, strength, and fortitude to refuse institutionalization for her d...

As an eighth grader, Brett Gotcher viewed running as a tool to improve his conditioning for basketball. Under the tutelage of Aptos High School coach Dan Gruber, he began to improve, seeing the possibility of cross country and track becoming his new focus. Brett became a dominant force, eying the potential of a way to pay for college. This Watsonville, California native enjoyed a stellar high scho...

How did a self-described nervous kid from New Jersey become a colossal force as a speaker, and author of the new groundbreaking book Unfollow Your Passion: How to Create a Life That Matters to You ( Altra Books/Simon & Schuster).  Terri Trespicio is a writer, speaker, and brand advisor who works with individuals and groups to change the way they think about, talk about, and position what they...

Zach and Andi Ripley were recruited as student athletes to the same university, where they met, became teammates, and married. In this in-depth conversation we traverse the inception of their competitive drives, race anxieties, and Zach's desire to separate his running identity from the person who just “loved to run” and move in alignment with his faith.  We also learn how Andi  overcame her...

  Chuck Garcia was scheduled to give a keynote address at the world trade center on the morning of September 11, 2001, when he was asked to switch presentation times with a colleague.  That colleague never made it out of the building when the terrorist planes struck the twin towers on that horrific day.  One year later, while on the summit of Mount Rainier, he made a pact to honor his fallen cowor...

 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson ,  was born and raised in the small tightly knit community of Dawson, Minnesota, where she won thirteen state championships - eight in track and five consecutive cross country titles, a national record that still stands today.    Carrie won her first national collegiate title at the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships, overcoming stress fractures in her metatarsal...

Clarion Johnson received his calling at thirteen years old, falling to one knee on the street near his Brooklyn home and breaking into a cold sweat after reading the biography of a missionary doctor. Clarion had an epiphany, at that moment he felt destined to become a physician.  Clarion was mentored by Dr. Haber at the Columbia Teachers College and funded his own education at Sarah Lawrence Colle...

Watching his older brother win the World Orienteering Championships at eight years old Marten Bostrom dreamed he would follow in his older sibling’s footsteps; a silver medal in Budapest Hungary at the World Junior Championships in 2001 showed promise, as well as a Finnish junior record for his marathon debut of 2:25 at nineteen years old. His attendance at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff...

The speed of life can be daunting. Some days there feels to be a need to pause, reflect, and learn from the experience of those who have transcended their challenges. I find myself returning to key moments from each guest during this first season. I felt like sharing them with you.  Ronnie Harris , reframes his disappointment at not competing in the Olympics, thus upholding the standard. Jen Rhine...

In this episode, we follow the journey of professional squash player Chris Gordon - from his relocation from New York to the UK, at the age of fourteen,  to study with world-renowned squash coach David Pearson to his world travels on the professional circuit.  Chris provides valuable insight into navigating the world of professional squash and imparts an understanding of the discipline and resourc...

Growing up skateboarding and listening to punk rock, Patrick Reagan didn’t focus on running until his senior year of high school, leaving basketball and other team sports behind. He began to traverse the loops of Masontown Pennsylvania, his home on the banks of the Monongahela River. Beginning to show promise his freshman year at West Virginia Wesleyan College, transferring to Slippery Rock Univer...

Deepa Purushothaman was a senior partner at the world's largest professional services corporation, focusing on women's leadership and inclusion strategies, assisting women of color navigate corporate structures. She was the first Indian American woman and one of the youngest people to make partner in the firm's history. Twenty years of globetrotting, and regularly logging over one-h...

Performance coach Bob Litwin is a two-time tennis World Champion, 25- time US National Champion and was ranked #1 in the world in senior tennis. In 2011, he was inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame. He is the first non-tour player to make a list that includes Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Vitas Gerulaitis, Don Budge and Althea Gibson. He is currently undefeated since March 2018 and is the #1...

Carmen Dell' Orefice grew up in New York City in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. She was encouraged by her mother to study with the Ballet Russes and then went on to swim at a national class level—nearly missing the US Olympic team.  On the bus returning from swim practice, she was discovered and asked to attend a photo shoot, which was poorly received. Despite this Carmen was sent to...

Jennifer Barrett   is  author of the recently released groundbreaking work Think Like A Breadwinner, A Wealth Building Manifesto for Women, who want to Earn More and  Worry Less .    She takes us to the beginning of her career in financial journalism - from covering foreign exchange for The Wall Street Journal , to The Street.com and The New York Times, before landing her dream job at Newsweek, wh...

Andrew Nemr is an internationally known performer, choreographer, educator, and speaker. Andrew has performed with Grammy award-winning musicians, Jazz icons such as Harry Connick Jr, Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, and the legendary Les Paul. The  New York Times referred to Andrew as a "master tapper."  Nemr's work has been recognized with a TED Fellowship....