The Growth Project

It often takes years of hard-earned experience filled with success and failure to develop a clear sense of purpose in life. Despite enormous success at a young age - signing a record deal with Sony at the age of fifteen, recording three studio albums, earning eight top forty singles on the Billboard Country Music Chart, and touring with the biggest names in country music - Blaine Larsen found his...

Every leader wants to build a passionate and engaged team, but this comes with some potential drawbacks. High performance is often linked with more stress, which can lead to burnout and puts leaders at risk of losing their most motivated and hard-working people. To avoid this, it's important to not only maximize engagement, but also help people maintain a healthy work-life balance. Drs. Milt Lowde...

Widely recognized as one of the most iconic and accomplished journalists in sports broadcasting, Bonnie Bernstein has reported on some of the biggest events in the sports landscape for ESPN and CBS over the last two decades. Among her many accomplishments, she more recently has leveraged her skills to create Walk Swiftly Productions, serving as Founder and CEO. She has paved the way in multiple fa...

How do you define and measure success? What does it take to compete at the highest level while maintaining balance and perspective? Dr. Milt Lowder explores these topics with professional golfer, Ben Martin, who reflects on the key lessons he's learned through his life and career, including practicing with purpose, the power of incremental changes, and judging success based on the quality of commi...

Each year millions gather to watch the cultural phenomenon that is the Super Bowl. Beyond the spectacle of the game itself, there are often compelling stories linked to the big game that highlight important principles that apply to life beyond the Super Bowl. Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer explore the biggest stories of Super Bowl LVI featuring the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals,...

What does it take to create a high-performing team with an excellent culture? Reflecting on their experiences working with teams in collegiate sports in recent years, Drs. Milt Lowder, Drew Brannon, and Cory Shaffer share the key ingredients that led to these teams successfully reaching the ultimate goal of becoming national champions, specifically Clemson Football for the 2016 and 2018 seasons an...

Hit NBC television show The Office was must-see TV during its run from 2005 to 2013 and continues to stay relevant thanks to streaming, its timeless humor, and relatable characters. One of the main characters in the show, Michael Scott - played by Steve Carell, is the often inappropriate, yet affable branch manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Michael certainly has his quirks, but he applies s...

Baseball season is on the horizon, so we thought it was fitting to have a conversation with a veteran in the baseball world, Mike Martin Jr., Florida State University Head Baseball Coach. Dr. Cory Shaffer talks with Coach Martin about Mike's experience growing up around FSU baseball his entire life, what he learned from his father - legendary FSU Baseball Coach Mike Martin, and how his philosophy...

What does it mean to have grit? How do you bounce back from adverse events? Dr. Katie Nichols explores these ideas with Dr. Lea Walsh, soon-to-be Lieutenant Commander Select and OSCAR psychologist for the United States Navy. They discuss the key distinction between grit and resilience, the role culture plays in developing growth-minded Marines, and what we can learn about post-traumatic growth.

Successes are often shared and highlighted in the media, and for good reason - it's inspiring and motivating to hear about the path to achievement. However, it's often the less-glamorous and unmentioned moments of failure that act as the key catalysts for personal growth, paving the way to future successes. In this episode, Dr. Cory Shaffer is joined by Dr. Kimberly Shaffer, program coordinator an...

Turning the page to a new year is a natural time to reflect and create new goals. With 2022 underway, the AMPLOS team discusses their personal approaches to year-end reflection, how they learn from previous experiences, and how they strive to make incremental, yet important, changes to ensure each year is a little better than the previous one.

For our 4-part AMPLOS team series, we're shifting the spotlight to our group of psychologists and performance coaches. In the fourth and final episode of this series, Dr. Drew Brannon talks with Dr. Cory Shaffer about Cory's path from a small town in Pennsylvania to the ivy league, the hurdles Cory had to overcome in his journey to become a performance coach, and his desire to maximize his potenti...

Uniting passion and purpose is typically the ultimate, and often difficult, goal in achieving a fulfilling career and life. Dr. Drew Brannon and Furman University Men's Basketball Head Coach, Bob Richey, discuss Bob's path to finding clarity in his career, his commitment to developing a unique program within the college basketball world, and a focus on building a culture that aligns with his value...

What does it feel like to finally achieve a long-term, meaningful goal and, once you reach it, what does it feel like in the afterglow of that euphoric moment? Clemson Men's Soccer Goalkeeper and Captain, George Marks, and Dr. Cory Shaffer, who regularly works with the team as their performance coach, reflect on the Clemson Men's Soccer team's path to becoming 2021 National Champions, the legacy G...

This is always an interesting time of year with numerous changes being made to the leadership of some of college football's key programs, and it's been a particularly fascinating end to the 2021 regular season. In this episode, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer explore the psychological, cultural, and emotional components wrapped up in the college football coaching carousel, looking at both the p...

For our 4-part AMPLOS team series, we're shifting the spotlight to our group of psychologists and performance coaches. In the third episode of this series, Dr. Milt Lowder talks with Dr. Drew Brannon about Drew's belief that effort leads to success, accomplishing what you put your mind to, and working as the University of Georgia football team's sports psychologist.

Like most things in life, practicing gratitude is a skill that can be developed, and it's one worth strengthening - there is no shortage of research underscoring the dramatic positive impact of regularly exercising gratitude. In light of Thanksgiving, the AMPLOS team explores how to develop a genuine sense of gratitude and awareness for what's in your life as part of a special holiday conversation...

For this 4-part AMPLOS team series, we're shifting the focus internally to our team of psychologists and performance coaches, who are typically on the other side of the conversation asking questions about our guests' lives. For the second part of this series, we're taking a deeper dive into the life and career of AMPLOS CEO and Founder, Dr. Milt Lowder. Dr. Katie Nichols talks with Milt about grow...

Life doesn't always go according to plan, but when one phase of life unexpectedly comes to an end it often creates space for new and meaningful opportunities to arise. Dr. Milt Lowder uses this concept as a framework to explore the life and career of Kent Barber, founder and CEO of Daybreak. In the conversation, they discuss the importance of relationships, autonomy, and getting comfortable being...

We love having our amazing guests on the Growth Project, but for this 4-part AMPLOS team series we're shifting the spotlight to our team of psychologists and performance coaches. Typically, they are the ones asking questions on the podcast, so this series allows you to learn from and learn more about their experiences. In this episode, Dr. Cory Shaffer talks with Dr. Katie Nichols about being a pr...

How do you harness and enhance human potential? Dr. Cory Shaffer explores this topic with Dr. Angus Mugford, VP for High Performance for the Toronto Blue Jays. They discuss Dr. Mugford's vision in developing a strong culture at an MLB organization, his philosophy behind building a high-performance team, and positioning the Blue Jays for success in a highly competitive league.

Ted Lasso , the hit Apple TV+ comedy that has grown to become part of the cultural zeitgeist, features a lead protagonist by the same name who embodies the characteristics of an enthusiastic, empathetic leader. Dr. Katie Nichols and Dr. Cory Shaffer explore the traits that make him a leader worth following, including his unwavering focus on relationships, team culture, and consistency.

Dr. Drew Brannon has a conversation with Jackie Faye, the first woman to complete 6 IRONMAN races on 6 continents in a span of 12 months. Beyond discussing this impressive accomplishment, they also talk about Jackie's apparel company, One January, an ethical activewear brand that makes sustainable clothing from recycled plastics, and She Can Tri, a non-profit organization Jackie launched dedicated...

What makes an extraordinary teammate? Dr. Cory Shaffer explores this concept with Joan Ryan, an award-winning journalist and author of five books, including an AMPLOS team favorite, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry . They discuss Joan's trail-blazing career as one of the first female sports columnists in the country and how intangibles contribute to higher team perform...

Life is like a poker game: it's less about the cards that you're dealt, and more about how you play them. Dr. Cory Shaffer chats with professional poker player and winner of four World Series of Poker bracelets, Brian Hastings. In the conversation, they explore Brian's approach to poker, including how he practices his craft, the mental game of poker, and how poker relates more broadly to life.