Winning with Class

Bill Macbeth
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Daily

Exploring how we can all build winning with class lives..for ourselves and for all the teams around us - our families, sports teams, schools, communities...our COUNTRY and beyond...

  1. 7h ago

    Shane Beamer: An Anchored Coach leading an Anchored Team.

    Coach Shane Beamer begins his sixth season leading the South Carolina Football program in 2026. Beamer, who owns 33 wins in five seasons at the helm, ranks in a tie with Lou Holtz for seventh among all South Carolina head football coaches. With a 33-30 record, he has coached the eighth-most games in school history. He has posted three wins over top 10 teams and seven wins over top 25 teams in his first five seasons at Carolina, tops among all Gamecock head football coaches over their first five seasons. During his tenure he has posted victories over three coaches who have won national championships – Jimbo Fisher, Dabo Swinney and Mack Brown, and has led the Gamecocks to three bowl appearances. Beamer's 2024 squad was his most successful to date. The Gamecocks finished the season with a 9-4 record including a 5-3 mark in the SEC, posting nine wins in a season for just the eighth time in school history. The Gamecocks recorded a school-record four wins against ranked opponents, including three in consecutive weeks as part of a regular season-ending six-game winning streak. Carolina finished the season ranked 19th in both the final Associated Press and Coaches polls, its highest ranking since 2013 and its second top 25 ranking in the past three seasons. Beamer was the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Week for the third time in his career following the Gamecocks' upset win over Texas A&M and earned SEC Coach of the Year accolades from the AP, USA TODAY, Bear Bryant and College Football Nation. He was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson, the Bobby Dodd, and the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year honors and was a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year. Named the Gamecocks' 36th head football coach on Dec. 6, 2020, Beamer had a successful first season in Columbia, improving the Gamecocks by 3.5 games, from a 2-8 mark in 2020 to a 7-6 campaign in 2021, including a convincing win over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. He tied the school record for wins by a first-year head coach, doubled the preseason's expected win total and surpassed the win total of the two previous seasons combined, earning him a share of the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award, presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Safety Jaylan Foster earned All-America honors, and three players were selected in the NFL Draft following his inaugural season. Prior to his first head coaching stint, Beamer had been an assistant coach at seven FBS schools for 21 seasons. During his career as an assistant, he coached in 17 bowl games, including a College Football Playoff National Championship Game, posted 18 non-losing seasons, six of those with double-digit victories, and his teams won 63 percent of its games. He coached all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams. Beamer is not new to Carolina. The Charleston, S.C. native served as an assistant coach with the Gamecocks for four seasons from 2007-10 under Steve Spurrier. In 2007, he served as the outside linebackers coach and co-special teams coordinator. He mentored the cornerbacks in 2008, then coached the Spurs and strong safeties and was the special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 2009 and 2010, setting the foundation for the most successful run in school history. In 2009 at South Carolina, Beamer was nominated for the Frank Broyles Award. His special teams' units recorded five blocked kicks, tying for the SEC lead and for eighth in the nation. He also helped coach a defensive unit that ranked 15th in the country in total defense, and eighth in the nation in passing defense. As the Gamecocks' recruiting coordinator, his 2009 class was ranked 12th-best in the country, and the 2010 and 2011 classes were ranked in the Top 25. The son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer, he worked with his father as the associate head coach and running backs coach at Virginia Tech from 2011-15. In his first year, he coached David Wilson, who broke the Tech single-season rushing record, was named All-America and ACC Player of the Year, and went on to become a first-round NFL draft selection. Shane served as the Hokies' acting head coach in the 2014 Military Bowl win while his father watched from the press box following throat surgery. Beamer's first full-time coaching position came at Mississippi State in 2004 as cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. In his first two seasons at State, he guided three defensive backs to SEC All-Freshman Team accolades. He maintained the recruiting coordinator title but made the move to running backs coach in the spring of 2006 where he tutored running back Anthony Dixon to SEC All-Freshman honors. A December 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, Beamer was a member of five bowl teams (1995-99 seasons) and three Big East Conference championship squads on the Hokie football team as a long snapper and wide receiver. He was a long snapper on the 1999 Virginia Tech team that played for the BCS National Championship. Beamer and his wife, Emily, who was named the 2025 South Carolina Football Hall of Fame Humanitarian of the Year, are the parents of three children – two daughters, Sutton and Olivia, both born in Columbia, and a son, Hunter, born in Blacksburg, Va. Takeaways: Consistency.   – I love the point Coach made about his father – that throughout his career – from the very low points to his entry into the Hall of Fame - Coach Frank Beamer never changed in terms of being a leader and in general, how he treated others.  This is up there in terms of compliments – being known as somebody who always treated others with respect regardless of the wins and losses in life – that's a hard compliment to top. OWNING his position as the leader.  I like how Coach Beamer talked about leadership in terms of not wanting to micromanage those he leads while also acknowledging that the program runs through him and he's accountable for all of it.  This is not an easy balance to maintain.  A lot of times we see leaders who are willing to be accountable but then seek to control everything.  Or, on the other end, some back off from controlling, but then shy away when it's accountability time.  The balance Coach Beamer strives to maintain is a great one in terms of building a culture that is based on mutual respect.  Living THEIR Standards.  Coach Beamer discussed how the Gamecocks have their standards of doing things their way in their program.  When they apply these standards to recruiting, it remains that way – THEIR standards control.  They don't worry who else is recruiting a player.  We've talked a lot about the comparison game as individuals and how it's something we all need to avoid.  The same goes for teams.  Build strong standards and live them.  Don't worry about what other teams are doing.  Fun.   You simply need to go to YouTube and search for coach Beamer and the song Fantasia.  When you put all the work in, you gotta have some fun and share it with everybody.  Here Coach Beamer gives his wife a Birthday surprise along with the team.  Just a good for the soul moment that you need to see.  Keep Pursuing IMPACT.  Finally, what a great story Coach Beamer told that displays what happens when you do things the right way, work extremely hard, and just hang in there despite not getting the results you are seeking early in the process.  As Coach told it, after the Gamecocks had taken a bad beating by Texas A&M in the '21 season, one of his players took a minute to let Coach Beamer know that the team still had his back.  What a great lesson on both ends of it – as a coach, if you pursue things the right way, the impact will follow and so will the buy-in, you just need to be patient as the impact is settling in even when it seems like it's not.  Then, as a player, to have the maturity and class to say this to a coach – acknowledging that on teams, when times get tough, even the leaders need encouragement.  Sure enough, the team bounced back soon thereafter.  And, today, the program is in great hands with Coach Beamer. Links: Website: https://gamecocksonline.com/sports/football/roster/coach/shane-beamer/  X: @CoachSBeamer Facebook: Shane Beamer

    Shane Beamer: An Anchored Coach leading an Anchored Team.

  2. 6d ago

    Trey Gowdy – The Sound of Regret

    Trey Gowdy returns! Trey is the Fox News host of Sunday Night in America. He has come back to Winning with Class to discuss his new book by the Fox News Books title of The Sound of Regret. Trey Gowdy was born in Greenville, South Carolina and grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  He is the son of Hal and Novalene Gowdy and has three sisters: Laura, Caroline, and Elizabeth.   From 1994-2000, as a federal prosecutor, Trey prosecuted the full range of federal crimes including narcotics trafficking, bank robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, child pornography cases, and the murder of a federal witness. He was awarded the Postal Inspector's Award for the successful prosecution of J. Mark Allen, one of "America's Most Wanted" suspects. He also received the highest performance rating a federal prosecutor can receive – two years in a row.  In 2000, he left the U.S. Attorney's office to run for 7th Circuit Solicitor (District Attorney) in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties. As 7th Circuit Solicitor, Trey led an office of 25 attorneys and 65 total employees. He started a Violence Against Women Task Force, a Worthless Check Program, enhanced and expanded Drug Court, and implemented a Drug Mother Protocol designed to assist expectant mothers break the cycle of addiction. He has been recognized statewide for his commitment to victim's rights and drunken driving enforcement and nationally for excellence in death penalty prosecutions.  In 2010, he ran for congress to represent the 4th Congressional District (Greenville and Spartanburg Counties).  While in congress he served on the Judiciary Committee, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Intelligence Committee, Education and the Workforce Committee and Ethics Committee. He was also chosen to chair a Select Committee on the events occurring in Libya on September 11-12, 2012.   While in congress he actively participated in numerous congressional investigations, sponsored bills signed into law and had deep and meaningful relationships with scores of colleagues on both sides of the aisle.  After four terms in congress, he announced he would not seek re-election in 2018 and would leave public service for good; thus, ending his career with a flawless record in the courtroom and undefeated in political races. In January of 2019, he returned to his beloved South Carolina to practice law, teach classes with his close friend Senator Tim Scott, and speak on legal issues he considers important to our country. Trey is a best-selling author, host of a television show, and podcast. Trey is married to Terri Dillard Gowdy, a former first grade school teacher in Spartanburg, South Carolina. They have two children, Watson and Abigail. Takeaways: Code of honor.  I liked Trey's response when asked about the phrase "uncommon anchor."  His immediate response was a "code of honor."  He also posed the question "what are your non-negotiables?" These are great challenges for all of us.  Do we have a code of honor by which we live?  Do we have non-negotiable standards, values, and principles we keep?  In his books, Trey's main prosecutor character, Colm Truesdale clearly lives by a code of honor.  That's not surprising to me, as it's pretty clear that Trey lives this way as well. Respect for the Human Element. Part of living by this code of honor, was the manner with which Trey maintained a very healthy respect for the human element in his role as a prosecutor.  It's brought out in his books and the way he tells his stories.  It's easy to think that all prosecutors are just robots looking to put people in jail.  However, when you hear Trey tell the story of the young man to whom the book is dedicated and the feeling he had when he met with his mother after he passed – described by the title of the book - The Sound of Regret - it's clear that Trey was very much in tune with the human element of his work.  He also talked about getting holiday cards from inmates because he treated them with respect even as he was prosecuting them.  There's no doubt that Trey was extremely successful as a prosecutor, and he took great pride in advocating for victims who were unable to speak for themselves in a lot of cases.  However, even when pursuing justice in a very dark world, he never lost sight of the human beings who were involved in all aspects of the process.  He put his ego aside and pursued winning while maintaining respect for all parties along the way – pretty hard to top that approach in terms of what it means to win with class. Truth – As we discussed, it seems like the truth is getting hit hard these days.  It's very hard to know who to trust.  Trey pointed out how we all need to be intentional about maintaining it. We also need to hold ourselves and those around us accountable for being truthful – and we need to do the same for our leaders.  As Trey mentioned, this will be challenging in the world of AI and everything moving at warp speed – all the more reason to be diligent and intentional about it. Emotional Intelligence.  I like Trey's response to the question about how he handled the raw emotion he felt during some of his cases. As a prosecutor, he was facing some people who had done some despicable things to the victims for which he was fighting.  To maintain his focus, do his job, and avoid having his emotions take over, Trey used winning – in his case, pursuing justice for his victims - as his main focus to drive him in such a way that his emotions could not derail his efforts. A lot of times, our pursuits take us on paths where it's possible to lose control of our emotions a lot of time, due to other people involved in our pursuit.  When that happens, we all need to double down on our focus of winning – being the best we can possibly be so that our emotions don't drive our behavior. Links: Website: https://www.treygowdy.com Instagram:  @tgowdysc and @gowdyamerica X: @tgowdysc Facebook:  Trey Gowdy Other Books by Trey: The Color of Death, Unified, How Our Unlikely Friendship Gives Us Hope for a Divided Country (New York Times Best Seller with Tim Scott) Doesn't Hurt to Ask, Using the Power of Questions to Communicate, Connect, and Persuade (New York Times Best Seller) Start, Stay, or Leave, The Art of Decision Making (New York Times Best Seller)

    Trey Gowdy – The Sound of Regret

  3. Aug 26

    Jade Simmons: World Class Concert Artist, Author, Speaker. Helping us discover and amplify our PURPOSE.

    Jade Simmons is an exceptional and unique performer. She's a powerhouse speaker, world-class concert artist, and author all in one. Acclaimed creator of mind-blowing transformational experiences, Jade spent the first few years of her career performing as a classical concert pianist. Following an artistic epiphany, she pivoted from playing the piano to impressing audiences, to using the piano as the vehicle by which she would provide the inspiration, entertainment, and transformation that profoundly moves them instead. The results have been massive. No stranger to pushing boundaries to see bold results, this concert pianist turned world changer is brought in by the likes of corporations like Barron's Mass Mutual, Royal Bank of Canada, DOW, Raytheon, The Hershey Company, Genentech, Valic, Pfizer, and Nationwide to redefine purpose, inspire seismic shifts in mindset, and activate audiences to go out and instantly start living more consequential lives of impact.  The one-of-a-kind artist has built a one-of-a-kind career, garnering diverse recognition from unlikely places. She's played renowned halls, including the hallowed ones of the White House and the US Supreme Court, and her genre-bending concert adventures that span Rachmaninoff to Rap attract diverse audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For her work on and away from the stage, Essence magazine featured Jade alongside former First Lady Michelle Obama as a part of their "Style & Substance List." As one of the rare classical artists invited to perform at the taste-making South by Southwest Festival, her show was ultimately branded one of the "Best of SXSW 2014." She's starred in a Broadway-style musical called Lillette's Rhythm Club, and she can be heard portraying Nina Simone's classical years in the Oscar-nominated documentary What Happened Miss Simone? In her inimitable career as a concert pianist and as a media host, Jade has remained committed to expanding the boundaries of Classical music and its presentation. On top of all of this, Jade is running as an Independent Write-in Candidate for U.S. Senate. Her goal is to cut through what she calls performative partisanship to focus instead on finding creative solutions that serve as many people as possible. Jade summarizes her campaign this way: "I believe I'm called to run this race differently, to model something higher, something "classier", offering something closer to purpose-focused leadership that prioritizes people over politics."  You can learn more about her run for Senate at jadesimmonsforsenate.com. Takeaways: Purpose.  I love how Jade frames purpose as being more about the way people are impacted when we utilize our talents. This is a great way to protect our purpose – and the process by which we discover it – from ever being solely focused on ourselves. When we find that blend that maximizes our unique talents while also maximizing the impact they have on others...there are no limits on how far our purpose can take us. Passion.  Jade makes a good point about passion. We hear a lot about passion and how we should follow our passion.  However, Jade makes the distinction that passion is something that follows us when we follow our purpose. Focus on PURPOSE - as described in the first takeaway and as your main source of fuel – and passion will follow you.    Pivot. As we pursue our purpose and allow our passion to follow us, we need to be aware and willing to pivot when necessary. A lot of times, our ego gets in the way, and we get stubborn and refuse to alter our course. If Jade would've been stubborn and refused to pivot when she went blank on stage, she would not have discovered the truly impactful and unique path that has allowed her to stand out from others and broaden how she reaches and inspires her audiences. Powerhouse – Jade nails it when she says that a REAL powerhouse is one who pours power into others. As she said, you're at your classiest when you're not afraid of sharing the stage. Like Jade says, striving to be the BEST is BASIC. Everybody strives for this – practicing, get your 10,000 hours, etc. This will lead to the standing ovations and there's nothing wrong with this.  But, like Jade says, it's really amazing to SHARE the spotlight.  This simply is what it means to win with class.   Links:  Websites:                          jadesimmons.com and jadesimmonsforsenate.com Instagram:                       @officialjadesimmons   Books:  Purpose The Remix: A Mind-Blowing Reunderstanding of Purpose and How It Works Audacious Prayers for World Changers: Live and Pray Out Loud

    Jade Simmons: World Class Concert Artist, Author, Speaker. Helping us discover and amplify our PURPOSE.

  4. Jun 26

    Dr. Wayne Chappelle – Healing Our Hurting Minds

    Dr. Wayne "Dr. C" Chappelle is a licensed clinical psychologist and board‑certified specialist with more than two decades of experience helping people perform, lead, and thrive under extreme pressure. He currently serves as the Team Psychologist for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, where he supports elite athletes in strengthening their mental resilience, emotional regulation, and competitive mindset. ​ For over 20 years, Dr. Chappelle has been a trusted psychological consultant to some of the most demanding military and government agencies —including Presidential aircrew, Special Operations forces, and senior military leadership. His work has included assessing and preparing personnel for high‑risk missions, briefing Pentagon officials on the psychological impact of dangerous operations, and shaping programs that strengthen the mental health and resilience of service members fighting terrorism across the globe. ​ In private practice, Dr. C works with executive leaders, high‑pressure professionals, and U.S. Olympic‑level athletes, helping them build the emotional, relational, and behavioral skills required to excel in the most competitive and consequential environments. ​ He is also featured in Heal Your Hurting Mind alongside pastor and best-selling author Craig Groeschel, whose personal candor and biblical insight pair with Dr. C's psychological expertise to offer a powerful, hope‑centered path toward healing and resilience. ​ At the center of his work is a simple mission: to help people adapt, grow, and stay grounded through life's most intense challenges. Known for his clarity, warmth, and practical wisdom, Dr. C blends deep clinical expertise with real‑world experience supporting individuals who carry extraordinary responsibility. ​ When he's not working with high-performing teams or speaking on leadership psychology, Dr. C spends his time with family and close friends—recharging through meaningful conversation, shared meals, and the kind of laughter that keeps life grounded. He believes strong relationships are the foundation of resilience, and he brings that same warmth and presence to the people he cares about most hope‑centered path toward healing and resilience.   Takeaways: Profile of a Hero: Dr. Chappelle's study revealed some great traits in terms of what makes a hero.  I liked all of his elements, but some of my favorites are:  Passion with purpose -  having a strong WHY is essential to carry through tough challenges.  And most of the time – if not all of the time, those whys that are bigger than ourselves seem to help us endure more than any other.  I like how he used the word conviction – such a strong word that describes the commitment to the WHY that will override anything that comes along which is uncomfortable. He mentioned the medic's motto of "so that others may live" which is about as strong a why as there is.  Passion is great, but passion with a purpose is what will get us over the tough challenges.  Let's all strive to have strong whys and then get truly convicted to them so that we can attack our pursuits with all we have. Tenacity – the notion of getting comfortable being uncomfortable.  If you can get here, you can get to the level of unstoppable.   Self-sacrifice – I like how Dr. Chappelle pointed out that life is about the impact we have on the world around us.  Playing and living like this is an essential part of being elite.  Diamond – Dr. Chappelle reminds us that a diamond is only a diamond if/when it endures intense heat and pressure.  The result is something hard, tough, and beautiful.  If we want to be elite, we need to lean into pressure instead of taking the easy way and avoiding it. I just heard Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow talk about this in a press conference as he challenged his team to take on pressure – mentioning that he LIKES pressure.   He hasn't won a Super Bowl yet, but he's 5-2 in the playoffs so far…and this is a big reason why. Do ordinary with excellence every day:  This goes to the consistent theme of intentionality with regard to the essentials.  Dr. Chappelle tells the players on the Thunder to take care of their main tool – their bodies - with diet, rest, exercise, and recovery.  We need to do the same with our bodies and as Dr. Chappelle says, add that same intentionality and pursuit of excellence with the mind and spirit as well.  If we do this on a consistent basis…our potential is limitless. Heal Your Hurting Mind: The label:  Instead of labeling ourselves with anxiety or other similar labels that have become way too common these days, I like how Dr. Chappelle provided us with the way we should all label ourselves – I'm a human with strengths and vulnerabilities and I'm in control.    Spirituality:  Last episode, Damon West said that we all need to be intentional about mind, body and spirit.  Dr. Chappelle backed that up when he talked about his personal routine.  His work supported this idea as well as he mentioned that when he studied two groups of special ops performers, those who had a greater sense of spirituality performed better.  This added benefit of having something greater than themselves allowed them to perform better and cope with things that would break others.  More proof that we need to be intentional about mind, body, and spirit if we want to truly pursue our complete and best selves. Links: Website: https://www.drchappelle.com                   https://psyoptimal.com/our-team  Instagram: @dr.waynechappelle

    Dr. Wayne Chappelle – Healing Our Hurting Minds

  5. Jun 12

    Damon West: From drug kingpin and life sentence to a new life of Massive Positive Impact

    Sentenced to sixty-five years in a Texas prison, Damon West once had it all. Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker and 3 x Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His bestselling business book, The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change, was listed by Forbes' in the "Top Twenty Books You Need to Read to Crush 2020." His autobiography, The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World, vividly tells how he transformed the pot of boiling water that is a Texas maximum-security prison into a pot of coffee. At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career ending injury. He turned to hardcore drugs to cope with disappointments of life. After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress, was a national fundraiser on a U.S. Presidential campaign and eventually trained to be a stockbroker for United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit. After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison a changed man. His story of redemption, grit and determination continues to inspire audiences today. The Coffee Bean message has inspired thousands. Damon's clients include hundreds of companies, such as Walmart, State Farm, Wendy's, Stryker, and sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Timberwolves, Clemson, Alabama and Georgia. The U.S. Army has even incorporated the #BeACoffeeBean mindset into their resilience training. Damon's story has been featured both nationally and globally. He is passionate about the Coffee Bean message and loves sharing how it changed his life and how it can change yours, too. His most recent book, national bestselling Six Dimes and a Nickel, Life Lessons to Empower Change, introduces the principles and stories that allowed Damon West to rewrite his narrative and become one of the greatest underdog triumphs of all time. His Wall Street Journal bestselling book, The Locker Room: How Great Teams Heal Hurt, Overcome Adversity and Build Unity, is being optioned for film adaptation. His children's book, The Coffee Bean for Kids, is the genesis for Coffee Bean Clubs being started by students at schools all over America. Today, Damon lives a life of recovery and service, sharing his story all over the world. Of all the hats Damon wears, however, the two most important to him are being a husband to Kendell and a stepfather to Clara. Takeaways: The Darkest of Dark.  Hopefully, none of us will ever have to face the type of environment that Damon had to face.  In such an environment, survival would be an admirable goal.  But remember all that Damon did in prison.  He kicked a strong drug habit, he confirmed and brought his faith to a new level, and he sought to transform the environment around him – ALL while having to fight his fights while feeling the fear every single time.  This goes to show that even if we've completely lost our way and find ourselves in a dark spot, anchorless – we can ALWAYS fight the good fight, get super intentional and turn things around – for ourselves and for those around us. The Uncommon Anchor.  I think Damon did a good job of describing his uncommon anchor in the teaser at the start of this episode.  He told us that we had to be intentional on a daily basis about our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.  Damon was also clear that his parents had given him this anchor with a solid upbringing.  Damon didn't maintain it and so he lost it – leading to drugs, crime and eventually a life sentence.  As we saw, Damon rebuilt his anchor.  And so can we.  But it's far better to avoid having to rebuild it by being massively intentional about our mental, physical, and spiritual selves on a daily basis.  It may feel like we don't need it – like everything is good and going our way.  That's exactly when we need to double down on strengthening our inner anchor based on the right things.   So, when life punches – and it WILL punch – as it did with Damon's football career unexpectedly coming to an end – your anchor will be strong enough to keep you on a good path, instead of going sideways like Damon did for that rough period of his life. The Coffee Bean.  First, what a great life lesson given by Damon's jail friend, Muhammad about being the coffee bean – doing the work to transform yourself for the better and then truly becoming the coffee bean by doing the same for those around you, despite the hot boiling water of adversity surrounding you.  This message has influenced millions through Damon's books and speeches. Almost as important was what Damon said about Muhammad himself and the lessons he learned from him.  Damon learned so much from this new friend because he was willing to listen to him – despite all the differences between the two including race, religion, and more.   As Damon said, if we close ourselves off to people who are different than us, we risk missing these messengers in life from whom we can learn so much.  The Coffee Bean lesson has positively impacted millions of lives, starting with Damon's – and none of it would've happened if Damon had refused to listen to somebody because he was different.  Fighting your Fights.  In addition to the Coffee Bean lesson, Mohammed shared another great life lesson with Damon as he tried to prepare him for prison life.  "You don't have to win all your fights, but you must fight all your fights," he told Damon. This is simply a great mantra for life.  We all know we won't win all of the challenges that come our way…but, to really live…to truly pursue our most complete and best selves – we need to FIGHT all of our fights…all of the challenges that come our way.  If we live like this, no matter our record for all of our fights, we will have built a deep and strong anchor inside us, rooted in confidence, fulfillment, and the peace that comes with an unlimited belief in who we are and how we can handle all that comes our way.  Links: Website: https://damonwest.org Instagram/X: @damonwest7

    Damon West: From drug kingpin and life sentence to a new life of Massive Positive Impact

  6. May 27

    Amy Morin: Mental Strength Training for Life

    Amy Morin is a licensed psychotherapist, a mental strength trainer, keynote speaker, award-winning host of the Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin podcast, and an international bestselling author of six books on mental strength, including the globally acclaimed 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do.  These books have sold over one million copies and have been translated into more than fifty languages.  Her 7th book, The Mental Strength Playbook, just released in April of 2026. Her expertise has been featured by major outlets such as Good Morning America, Today, Oprah, Tamron Hall, and BBC and her TEDx Talk, The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong, has been viewed over 24 million times. Amy's passion for teaching mental strength stems from a personal place. After enduring almost unimaginable loss of three loved ones in her twenties, she realized the traditional tools of therapy weren't enough to manage her grief. She's practiced therapy for over twenty years, and she's a sought-after speaker whose Ted Talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong" is one of the most viewed talks of all time, with more than 25 million views.  Amy lives on a sailboat in the Florida Keys. Books: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do. 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don't Do. 13 Things Mentally Stron Parents Don't Do. 13 Things Strong Kids Do. 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do Workbook. 13 Things Mentally Strong Couples Don't Do. The Mental Strength Playbook. Takeaways: Keep.  Moving.  Forward.:  One of my favorite movie lines is from the last Rocky movie where the aging boxer tells his son about how life isn't about how hard you can hit – it's about how hard you can GET HIT and keep moving forward.   Amy's hits were about has hard as life can punch.  Losing a loved one is difficult.  Losing THREE in a relatively short period of time, at a relatively young age, is almost unimaginable.  Not only did she keep moving forward, but Amy also made a CHOICE to be mentally strong about it – and now she's as good a model of that as there is – and millions have benefitted from it.  Life hits everybody.  As Amy tells us, she seemingly had it all figured out and was set up for a great life path.  Great parents.  Solid faith.  Solid education and training. Her own family off to a great start. Life would be "easy" right?  The problem is – we are ALL susceptible to life's hits.  Life doesn't discriminate when it takes its swings at people with adversity.  What we CAN control is the extent to which the adversity affects us – and how long those effects stay with us.  If we are ANCHORED to the right things, we will have the ability to handle the adversity and keep moving forward.  When asked what made her sit down and write that list of 13 things mentally strong people DON'T do, Amy pointed to her parents and her faith – two very strong anchoring elements.  When life punched – and kept punching Amy, "why me" was an option.  This is an always-available option for all of us.  However, if we want to keep moving forward – that's not going to help us.  As we just discussed, it's a choice – and if we have the right anchor inside us, that choice will be easier to make. Mental strength. Amy explains mental strength as how we think, feel, and behave.  She then went on to share that we have control over all of these.  As Amy said, we can REFRAME our negative thoughts, we have WAY MORE control over our emotions than we think, and we can ALWAYS take ACTION – even when we don't feel like it.  Amy also says this is a life-long thing – it's a PURSUIT.  So, we have to be consistent with this choice.  Finally, I love how Amy tells us to coach ourselves which is very empowering for ALL of us.  One of the main aspects of this self-coaching is being intentional about assessing ourselves – how are we doing?  How did I do today?  You might even ask – did I win this day with class?  Or did this day strengthen or weaken my ANCHOR?  So, mental strength is within our control – and every day matters. Know your values and priorities.  I liked how Amy challenges herself by asking – if people saw a snapshot of my life, would they know what my priorities are? This is a great takeaway for all of us.  If people look at our lives will they know our values and priorities?  Our standards?  So, the first step is to explore and define your standards and priorities.  Then, the second step is to LIVE according to your standards and priorities.   As Amy showed us, as long as we're living our lives according to a strong set of standards and priorities – and we become anchored to them - we can live and even thrive no matter what life throws at us. The 13. You need to go get Amy's book so you can really dive into the full list of the 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do and we hit on them briefly in our discussion.  Some of my favorites:  Mentally strong people don't get stuck in self-pity.  We all get in ruts – the secret is to not STAY there.  Also, mentally strong people don't live in the past and related to that, they don't repeat mistakes.  We are all human and we all screw up and have bad patches in our lives.  However, as Amy says, there is really very little in life we can't UNDO.  We just need to learn from our experiences and then choose, as Amy did, to be strong and move forward.  Lastly, a theme that covers a couple on the list – mentally strong people aren't afraid to take the time to be intentional about building and preserving their inner peace.  This is what we're all chasing and we can all get there – but, we have to be intentional with our time and attention to ourselves – putting the phone and other distractions to the side and checking in with ourselves, figuring out what that inner peace looks like based on our values and priorities, and then pursuing that on a consistent basis. The choice is clear:  To sum it all up, as Amy says in her book, "When you become mentally strong, you will be your best self, have the courage to do what's right, and develop a true comfort with who you are and what you're capable of achieving."  Sounds like a pretty good way to live an anchored, winning with class life.  So, let's coach ourselves every day to be mentally strong.  It worked for Amy despite severe and very real, life adversity.  And it will work for us too. Links:   Website: amymorinlcsw.com Instagram: @amymorinauthor X: @AmyMorinLCSW Podcast: Mentally Stronger, with Therapist Amy Morin

    Amy Morin: Mental Strength Training for Life

  7. Apr 6

    Frank Martin: Coaching basketball and LIFE.

    Massachusetts head basketball Coach Frank Martin was named the 23rd head coach in men's basketball history in March of 2022. Martin brought 15 years of head coaching experience to Amherst after spending 10 seasons prior as the head coach at South Carolina, where he led the Gamecocks to the program's first ever NCAA Final Four in 2017.   Martin began his 10-year run in Columbia, S.C. prior to the 2014-15 season and went on to match the program's record for wins in a season as his team finished the 2015-16 campaign with a 25-9 record. The squad rose to as high as 15th in the USA Today Coaches Poll following the Gamecocks' best start since the 1933-34 season.   Under Martin, South Carolina broke the record for wins in a single season with 26 in 2016-17 on the way to the best NCAA Tournament run in program history. Martin led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1973 and to the program's first-ever Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four. The No. 7-seed squad defeated No. 2 seed Duke in the round of 32 and earned wins over Baylor in the Sweet 16 and Florida in the Elite Eight before falling to Gonzaga in the national semifinals.   He was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year. The Gamecocks were ranked in the AP Poll for nine weeks and the Coaches Poll for 10 weeks and finished as the No. 6-ranked team in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. Sindarius Thornwell was named a CBS Sports First-Team All-American and the NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player.   Martin got his first head coaching opportunity at Kansas State in 2007-08 and brought the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in four of his five seasons at the helm. He guided the Wildcats to their first win over rival and No. 2-ranked Kansas since 1983 and took the team to its first NCAA Tournament since 1996.   In 2009-10, Martin led Kansas State to a 29-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance. The Wildcats earned their first win over a No. 1-ranked team in Texas since 1994 and finished the year ranked inside the top 10 in both major polls. Kansas State went into the 2010 NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed and defeated North Texas, BYU and Xavier in postseason play. He was recognized as the Big 12 Coach of the Year.   A Miami, Fla. native, Martin began his coaching career in the high school ranks in Miami, earning his first head coaching job at North Miami High School before moving to Miami Senior, where he led the team to three straight state championships. His first collegiate coaching job came in 2000 as he was named an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northeastern University. From there, he joined Bob Huggins' staff at Cincinnati and was part of Huggins' coaching staff at Kansas State during the 2006-07 season.   A fixture off the court and in the community, Martin and his wife, UMass track and field alumna Anya (nee Forrest), have hosted numerous philanthropic events and have been key investors in the UMass women's track and field program. In 2019, Martin was introduced into the Naismith Coaches Circle that was created by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to recognize coaches who have impacted their communities, players, other coaches, and society in a positive manner.   Martin earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Florida International in 1993. He and his wife, Anya, have three children: Brandon, Amalia and Christian.    Takeaways: Coach's anchor.  From listening to him, it's clear to see what makes up Coach's anchor or internal foundation.  Family – starting with his grandmother, a rock-solid work ethic, his faith and, related to and largely gained from his work ethic – a clear knowledge of how to treat people.  It's not hard to see how Coach is so admired and respected.  Don't worry about what you don't have.  What a great lesson for us all.  This one started with his grandmother – the source for a lot of his lessons as you heard.  Coach Martin mentioned it in the context of telling young coaches to just take care of the job they have and not to worry about chasing that next job.  He also mentioned that this came from growing up and building furniture with his grandmother, noting that they didn't have much at all – but they didn't know it because they just appreciated what they DID have. What a great lesson for all of us – especially in today's comparison world led by social media.  We all need to stop, appreciate what we DO have and take care of the people around us NOW.  Like Coach said, it's far better to do it this way and more often than not, ascension up that mountain will come. And, even if it doesn't, the genuine peace and fulfillment that comes from enjoying the journey and the people around you are worth it. Spirituality and the Pursuit of Complete.  As you heard, Coach had a couple of amazing experiences that made it very clear to him that God has a plan for him.  It's now very clearly a part of his life's pursuit of complete – a main part of his set of priorities - as he continues to impact lives.  Another great reminder to, at the very least pay attention to the spiritual side of ourselves as we build and maintain our own pursuit of our complete selves. Culture.  This one is hard to beat.  Coach Martin mentioned that his culture is based on four building blocks - honesty, loyalty, trust, and love.  I love how he explained how each building block built off the previous one.  I also love how he started with honesty and the truth as the first building block, or foundation, for it all.  Then, if you get to love – that's when you arrive at a family…and, if you get there, you can deal with the storms.  When it comes to culture, it's hard to say it all any better than that. Winning + Class.  Coach Martin described this by saying it's about how we should strive to focus our energy on uplifting the lives of those around us. As coach said, when we can show up the next day excited regardless of the previous day's outcome because we're inspired this way, that's winning with class.  It's clear that Coach lives this notion and it's a great one for all of us to follow as well.   Links:  Website: https://umassathletics.com/sports/mensbasketball/roster/coaches/frankmartin/2452        Instagram: @frankmartinumass; @umassbasketball

    Frank Martin: Coaching basketball and LIFE.

  8. Feb 23

    Nick Lavery: American Hero – Unstoppable Warrior

    Nick Lavery is the founder and CEO of Precision Components LLC, where he and Team Machine train, advise, enable, and inspire organizations and individuals to unlock capacity and increase capability.  He is also the best-selling author of Objective Secure – the battle-tested guide to goal achievement.  Nick is a warrior, leader, teammate, and most importantly, a proud husband and father of two boys.  Nick enjoys reading, writing, lifting weights, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and shooting.  Most significantly, however, he enjoys building forts, Legos, getting dirty, drawing and reading with his sons and traveling, eating dinner, and watching movies with his wife.  Nick founded MCHN to build a community that embodies these same principles – where discipline, leadership, and resilience aren't just taught, but lived.  Nick, born and raised in Massachusetts, is an active-duty Green Beret within The United States Army Special Forces.  The Green Berets perform critical missions including direct action, counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, and unconventional warfare.  Nick is currently serving as a Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer and is widely recognized as an experienced subject matter expert in special operations, intelligence fusion, mission planning, and complex problem solving across all operational continuums.  He is also the first amputee in military history to complete the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification course, the Special Operations Combatives Program Instructor course, and the Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification course.  In 2013, while deployed in Afghanistan, Nick and his detachment fell victim to an attack that ultimately resulted in the amputation of his leg.  Following a year of surgeries and initial recovery including the use of a prosthetic at Walter Reed National Medical Military Center, he returned to his unit.  Refusing military medical retirement, Nick set his sights on returning to operational status.  In 2015, at the conclusion of a challenging, comprehensive assessment designed to evaluate Nick's abilities to operate, he returned to his detachment and was subsequently deployed once again to Afghanistan conducting full spectrum combat operations.  Nick is considered the first Special Forces operator to return to combat as an above-the-knee amputee in military history. Nick's awards include the Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, three Bronze Stars, Bronze Star with "V" for valor, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medal, the OSS Society Peter Ortiz Award, the Bruce Price Leadership Award, and the Special Operations Command Excalibur Award.  Takeaways: How YOU Livin?  When I hear Nick's story – the bravery, the courage and all the selfless sacrifice that he has endured and continues to endure for our country, this simple question comes to mind.  "How you livin'?"  The simple challenge that comes along with it is this:  are we living in a way that is worthy of all that Nick has gone through?  Would Nick be able to look at our lives and say to himself – "yep, that life is worth fighting for" or "yep, I'm proud to fight for him or her and the way they're living."  This one is for all of us and it's especially good right now.  There's a lot going on in this country – I think it's a great time for all of us to look in the mirror both individually and collectively and ask this question…and KEEP asking it to keep our pursuits on a good path. Character Reps. I like how Nick went out of his way to point out that he was not always the massive 6'5" warrior that he is today.  In fact, for most of his childhood, he was the small, weak one who got picked on.  However, he mentioned that each patch of difficult time served as a character rep that ended up adding to the toughness that embodies so much of who he is today.  So, no matter how we struggle at times, let's remember that life has a way of throwing us these character reps – and if we can see it this way, we'll be stronger in the long run.  TEAM First.  Nick's story brings so many examples of an intense and high-level TEAM FIRST mindset.  From the way he handled all of his injuries – refocusing his mission to that of getting back to his unit as fast as humanly possible, to the way he helped his teammate put his eye back into socket as he was bleeding from his own face, to the way he watched with pride when he thought he was dying as his young teammates fought off the enemy…It's just endless with Nick.  And it shows that great things happen when we put the TEAM first.   GRACE/FORGIVENESS/PERSPECTIVE.  I thought it was a very powerful story regarding Nick getting his blood transfusion.  After all he had survived on the battlefield, he almost died due to a blood transfusion that resulted in him getting the wrong type of blood.  Not only did Nick go quickly to GRACE in terms of handling this mistake – forgiving the doctors – but he also took it a step further by saying that he was grateful that his experience led to a change in protocols that could have saved lives like Nick's down the road.  In a world of me first and who can I sue when mistakes are made, this is incredibly refreshing.  Nick knew his medical team was doing all they could to help him and immediately went to a "mistakes happen" mentality, especially under that much pressure.  He then took that "team first" mentality, thinking about how his suffering hopefully saved lives in the future.  More great lessons from Nick.  I WILL Mindset for Adversity.  Nick clearly had and maintained an "I WILL" mentality throughout all he faced both in battle and recovery. Getting back to his unit after each injury, getting through his rehab, getting through training after learning to walk again with his new leg, having endured 35-40 surgeries…There was no "I think I can" or "I'll try" or anything else less than complete "I WILL" in his head.  These are two extremely powerful words to guide us in our pursuit. Things may happen along the way that are out of our control and take us off path, but if we keep the words "I WILL" at the forefront, we will never have to doubt whether or not we gave it all we could along the way.  Nick certainly does not have to wonder about this in all that he did.  PURSUIT of COMPLETE: Nick's description of winning with class is a great one.  He likens it to the climbing of a mountain and talks about how getting to the top just isn't right if you haven't done it the right way – leaving others behind or stepping on them to get to the top, etc.   And is there a better warrior than Nick to remind us that this is NOT just a "soft" or "cheesy" notion?  As he said, winning with class is by far the harder and tougher road to take.  Let's all follow his lead and get to the top of the mountain with the great feeling and positive IMPACT that comes along with taking the challenging pursuit of complete that is based on bringing winning AND class into all that we do.  Links:  Book: Objective Secure, The Battle-tested Guide to Goal Achievement Website: https://mchn.co              Instagram: @thenicklavery Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nick.Machine.Lavery?_rdr

    Nick Lavery: American Hero – Unstoppable Warrior
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About

Exploring how we can all build winning with class lives..for ourselves and for all the teams around us - our families, sports teams, schools, communities...our COUNTRY and beyond...

Information

  • Creator
    Bill Macbeth
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    Winning with Class