General

Always Have a Trophy in Mind Penn State has an empty trophy case sitting in its team meeting room. It’s not hidden or tucked away, it’s in a spot the players walk by every day. The squad has always had the trophy case sitting in the team meeting room. While the goal is ultimately a…

Are endurance athletic events really worth it? 8 years ago, I completed an Ironman in Hawaii. Though I’m proud of this accomplishment, and incredibly thankful for all those who supported me, I realize now that physical accomplishments don’t really mean anything. In completing the Ironman, I got a medal. The medal has no real value,…

3 simple steps to writing a business plan Ever dream of starting your own business but not sure where to begin? Creating a business plan is a great first step, but just the thought of a formal business plan can seem overwhelming. If you’re looking to write a business plan, use these three steps that…

How to Deliver Tough Feedback I talk a lot about the “The Losada Line.” You know, that ratio of positive interactions and praise to criticism necessary to bring out the best in others. The line itself indicates that a ratio of approximately 3 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction is necessary for teams to perform…

Ever heard of Wolff’s Law?  Wolff’s law was developed by the German anatomist and surgeon Julius Wolff in the 19th century and states that bone in a healthy animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed.   Said another way, if loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself…

With the government looking to cut back spending on research, often we only hear the soundbite. Things like “We cut $75,000 for a study on the venom of Gila monster lizard.” Which, on the surface, could beg the question, “What could be the point of that study and that amount of spending?” Well, here’s a…

Leadership 101: Comparing Laissez-Faire, Democratic, and Autocratic Leadership Styles Being a leader of a team or organization is no easy task, and knowing how best to respond in any given moment can be tough.  Nevertheless, there are certain principles that can help in choosing the right leadership style to match the situation at hand. And…

What we all missed watching Ted Lasso It’s so obvious, and yet, they’re missing the biggest one… If you look any image about “Ted Lasso Life Lessons” you’ll see things about courage, trust, learning from mistakes, being present in the moment, or attention to details. And while these things were displayed on the show, all…

We should raise the price of cigarettes, drastically… In 2022, the US government made $11.3 billion in taxes on tobacco. Sounds like a good revenue stream, right? In that same year, we spent $240 billion in direct healthcare costs treating the ailments due to smoking. That cost is 21x more than the tax revenue. When you include direct…

Back in 2016, I was feeling restless… I was happy in my work, but something was off. I knew I loved helping people, and I knew the people I worked with were seeing results. Still, the feeling persisted… So after some failed attempts to figure out what was up, I finally really leaned into that…