Suiting Up with Paul Rabil

"The reason most entrepreneurs can't beat me is they want to compete with me in math and I beat them in coloring." Gary Vaynerchuk's a serial entrepreneur and investor. He committed to early rounds, investing in Twitter, Uber, Venmo, Tumblr, and more. Gary's the CEO and co-founder of VaynerMedia and Vaynersports; both are agencies that service Fortune 500 companies and world-class athletes around the globe. Gary's rise to prominence began in the late 90’s after building the Wine Library, helping his father grow the family business from $4M to $60MM in sales. Today, he’s one of the most sought after public speakers, an active venture capitalist, and four-time New York Times bestselling author. On this episode we dive into the state of competition in sports, how Gary manages his employees, his latest move to sports agency representation, how he trades on people with energy, what he looks for in entrepreneurs, and his hatred for Michael Jordan. Additionally, Gary gives us two major 2018 predictions for media and sports. And I almost forgot, Gary wants to own the New York Jets. Suiting Up is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entertainment and business. Navigating each conversation, I do my best to unpack how world-class performers think, compete, improve, operate, invest, train, eat and sleep.

10 years ago, Eric LeGrand was a top Division 1 football player at Rutgers University when he made a tackle that caused him to suffer a severe spinal cord injury, leaving him unable to move and breathe. He was paralyzed from the neck down and told he would never be able to come off a ventilator, much less walk again.

A month later he was off the ventilator, able to breathe on his own, and began physical therapy.

Eric's story is one that's gripping, motivational and aspiring. Over the last decade he's recognized his influence through sport to engage and educate audiences around the world on the preciousness of life, the value in opportunity to play sports, and how we can improve in our relationships between able-bodied and disabled people.

Think about the storied sentiment that able-bodied people share when facing adversity...that "it could be worse" often referencing people in wheelchairs or human sense impairing. These comparisons unintentionally denigrate a community of disabled people who actually get along quite well in society -- and in many cases, excel. Eric as evidence alongside 61 million adults in the US living with a disability.

Eric does a wonderful job on the show coaching me on best practices, as well as sharing resources and ways that able-bodied individuals can work with and learn from disabled individuals.

As compassionate of a storyteller and educator Eric is, he too remains motivated to work towards that first doctor's said 0% outcome of being able to walk again. When receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 20th Annual ESPYS, he closed his speech announcing that he in fact will walk again.

A ferocious reader and author, Eric's written two books on leadership and overcoming adversity, dubbing one "The Tackle That Changed My Life." He's also a philanthropist and entrepreneur, recently launching his latest business, a coffee house that serves a "Daily Cup of Believe." You can order your coffee beans here: https://legrandcoffeehouse.com/

I'm excited for you to listen to my conversation with Eric LeGrand on Suiting Up Podcast, presented by Public.com and Outsystems.

Erika Nardini is the CEO of Barstool Sports, a hardcore New England sports fan (Go Coach Belichick...also a podcast guest), and one of the trailblazers of the internet. I'm lucky to call her a friend and mentor. Quick Erika snapshot: after changing her career trajectory out of school from legal to advertising (opting to take a $35K pay cut), she immediately became fascinated by the connections that people and brands could make online. With each creative campaign and team of workers (she talks about the value of "managing around" vs. "managing up"), she continued to climb the executive ladder, pushing branded content and internet advertising into a multi-billion dollar industry. With executive positions at MSN and Yahoo, she was then named the CMO of AOL, and in 2016 was brought over to Barstool Sports via her friends at Chernin Group. She's taken Barstool from 2 shows and 3 podcasts to one of the largest media companies in the modern era, attacking revenue at a clip that's unmatched -- featuring branded content, unique merchandise strategies, and PPV events. On the show, we discuss her road to CEO, management tips, predictions in media, and her stint as a college lacrosse net-minder. Suiting Up is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entrepreneurship, and entertainment.

A high performing athlete requires superior skill, athleticism, and mental horsepower. On today's show, I sit down with my strength & conditioning coach of 14 years – Jay Dyer – to discuss how you can develop your physical prowess. A large cohort of people believe that athletic superiority is reserved for a specific gene pool. Rather, the appropriate mindset should be that the largest share of our strength and speed is actually nurtured over time. Jay Dyer is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and director of sports performance for MedStar Union Memorial Sports Medicine. Outside of his lacrosse S&C roles with Johns Hopkins University and Team USA, Jay’s trained Division I, II, and III athletes in football, basketball, baseball, soccer and field hockey. Included on his client roster are athletes from the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Today, Jay and I open up about our relationship from coach to athlete – discussing what's worked, and what hasn't – as well as how you can be thinking, preparing and training to compete at your best. Suiting Up is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entrepreneurship, and entertainment. Enjoy my conversation with my Strength & Conditioning Coach, Jay Dyer. Special thanks to this week's sponsors: Ziprecruiter (ziprecruiter.com/cross) & Molecule (onmolecule.com/suitingup)

Adam Grant has been Wharton's School of Business's top-rated professor for the last six years. He’s a 3x NYT bestselling author, with a focus on how we can find motivation, meaning, and live more generous and creative lives. Adam's been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers, he's a Fortune 40 under 40 member, has 2 viral TED talks (we discuss them in the pod), and has recently launched his own podcast with TED, called WorkLife with Adam Grant. Adam also works, advises, and consults with organizations like Facebook, Google, The NBA, BCG, AMEX, Disney, Army, Navy, and others. Not too shabby... I first learned about Adam several years ago through his books. Many of my long-time listeners might recall interviews where I both recommend and call-out Adam's book with Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook’s COO), Option B — Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy. Just over one year ago, Adam reached out to me via email to say “Thank you for the book callout”. I was shocked — as uncertain of my place in his world of influence, as well as...how he even got my email. More-so, I was blown away by his outbound message — which was entirely unexpected, made my day, and continues to inspire me to do the same in the present moment. So, 12 months later, I reached back out to Adam's email to request if he could join me on my show. Of course, Adam made it work, and today, I’m sharing that conversation with you. I’ve spent the greater part of the last four years in sports psychology, and the last three in cognitive and interpersonal therapy — which has been hugely beneficial to my personal and professional growth. Just like those sessions, today’s episode is brought to you in one-piece – with no ads. Hosted by professional athlete and entrepreneur, Suiting Up Podcast is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entrepreneurship, and entertainment.