What It Takes To Build a Championship Culture with JJ Gottsch
The Athletics Of Business
What does it take to build a championship team, grow a nationally recognized brand, and create a lasting culture that performs under pressure? In this episode of The Athletics of Business, Ed Molitor welcomes back JJ Gottsch, CEO of the Austin Gamblers. They dive into the leadership, culture, and disciplined execution behind one of PBR Teams’ most successful organizations. JJ shares how the Gamblers’ success began with ownership that did more than set a bold vision. They backed it with trust, resources, and support, giving the team what it needed to build a year-round brand around a...
info_outline
Measuring the Transformational Impact of Coaching with Kyle Craighead & Joshua Childs
The Athletics Of Business
What if the most powerful thing a coach does never shows up in a box score? Every athletic department tracks wins and losses. Many track all-state selections, district championships, and tournament appearances. But the metrics that often matter most — the ones tied to connection, resilience, attendance, joy, accountability, academic growth, and long-term student development — have largely gone unmeasured. Until now. In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor is joined by Kyle Craighead and Joshua Childs to talk about the transformational impact coaches have on student...
info_outline
Soccer Meets America: Leadership, Culture, and the Stories That Shape Us with Phil Wall
The Athletics Of Business
What happens when a sport’s history is bigger, deeper, and more culturally revealing than the story most people have been told? Soccer has always been part of the American sports landscape. Union soldiers played it during the Civil War. Crowds of 46,000 showed up for soccer in New York in the 1920s. Pelé brought nearly 200 journalists with him when he played for the New York Cosmos. But the real story is not just about soccer. It is about how culture is built, how momentum grows, how narratives take shape, and how the stories we choose to tell can either limit what people see or expand what...
info_outline
Yes Your Way to Success: What Endurance Teaches Us About Leadership with Gavin Mlinar
The Athletics Of Business
Most people spend their lives trying to avoid failure. Gavin Mlinar has built his life around walking straight into it. From leaving home to pursue freestyle skiing as a teenager, to returning after multiple knee injuries to earn a starting role on the football field, to walking away from a successful executive career without a clear plan for what came next, Gavin has repeatedly chosen uncertainty over comfort. And more often than not, those decisions began with a simple phrase: "Yes, I'll figure it out." In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor is joined by Gavin...
info_outline
Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader with John O'Sullivan and Dr. Jerry Lynch
The Athletics Of Business
What if the best captain on your team is not the loudest, most talented, or most popular player? For John O’Sullivan and Dr. Jerry Lynch, true captaincy is not about status. It is about skill, choice, relationships, and the daily behaviors that help a team become more connected, accountable, and resilient. In this episode of The Athletics of Business, Ed Molitor is joined by John and Jerry to discuss their new book, Captain: The Athlete’s Guide to Being an Exceptional Leader. Together, they unpack why leadership in sports is often misunderstood, why teams should stop automatically...
info_outline
The Human Side of Leadership: Building a Culture of Purpose-Driven Performance with Jeff Schaffnit
The Athletics Of Business
What changes when the work you lead is deeply personal? For Jeff Schaffnit, his career in the pharmaceutical industry is directly connected to his son, Carter, who was born with severe hemophilia. That personal experience shaped not only the work Jeff chose to pursue, but the kind of leader he strives to be. In this episode of The Athletics of Business, Ed Molitor and Jeff dive into what it takes to build a culture where purpose and performance strengthen one another. Jeff shares why patient stories serve as a North Star for his team, how he evaluates talent through the lens of heart, mind,...
info_outline
From the Foxhole to the Final Four: Roadmap to Coaching Greatness with Coach Bob Starkey
The Athletics Of Business
What keeps a coach grounded after more than 40 years, over 900 wins, 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, five consecutive Women’s Final Fours, and a national championship? For Bob Starkey, the answer has never been about the record. It has always been about the relationships. In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor is joined by one of the most respected assistant coaches in women’s college basketball for a conversation about leadership, preparation, connection, and the standards that build great teams. Bob traces his coaching philosophy back to Alan Osborne, the...
info_outline
The Power of Mentorship and Trust in Building a Championship Culture with Scott Howard
The Athletics Of Business
What does it take to build a championship culture that lasts? For Scott Howard, it starts with mentorship, trust, relationships, and a commitment to putting the team above yourself. In this episode of The Athletics of Business, host Ed Molitor reconnects with longtime friend Scott Howard, currently completing his 11th season with the Denver Nuggets organization after nearly four decades in basketball, including 17 years coaching in the college game and over two decades in the NBA. At the heart of this conversation is what truly builds championship culture. Scott shares how growing up in Iowa...
info_outline
One Team, One Heartbeat: How Human Connection Drives Transformation Before the Scoreboard Shows It with Meghan Long
The Athletics Of Business
Why do the same teams keep winning without the most talent? Is it because they’ve learned to embrace the grind, celebrate small wins, and lead people as humans first—so they’d run through a wall for each other? In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, host Ed Molitor is joined by , Area Vice President of US Surgical Sales at . As a former Division I Lacrosse captain at UNC-Chapel Hill, Meghan understands what it takes to build a winning culture. Today, she brings those same principles into her work, leading high-impact growth and turnaround efforts across the medical device,...
info_outline
Connecting Like A PRO: The Four Underlying Motivators Every Leader Needs to Master
The Athletics Of Business
What if every frustrating conversation, every missed connection, and every stalled coaching moment with your team could be traced back to just four hidden forces, forces you've never been taught to see? In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, host Ed Molitor is joined by Paul Bramson, elite leadership trainer, global keynote speaker, and author of Connecting Like A PRO®, to explore the hidden drivers behind every conversation, conflict, and coaching moment. Paul reveals the four underlying motivators that shape how we respond under pressure: the Need to Be Liked, the Need to Be...
info_outlineLet’s face it: AI is changing the game in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. As leaders, we’re at a crossroads—do we learn how to use this new technology to our advantage, or do we risk falling behind?
In this episode, I sit down with Geoff Woods, #1 bestselling author of The AI-Driven Leader and founder of AI Leadership, to explore how leaders can harness AI not just to automate tasks, but to think bigger, make smarter decisions, and unlock the full potential of their organizations.
Geoff shares the journey that took him from asking the right questions in boardrooms to co-founding an executive network, The Collective, where 100+ leaders from around the world collaborate to use AI as a competitive advantage. He pulls back the curtain on his “CRIT” framework (Context, Role, Interview, Task) for prompting AI to be more than a tool—it becomes a thought partner that sharpens your vision and reveals the path to 10x growth.
We dig into how Geoff overcame massive imposter syndrome when first stepping into AI leadership, the power of reverse engineering your future, and why he believes trying to “know everything about AI” is the surest way to lose. Plus, he shares a powerful story of how an AI-generated interview turned a real estate flipper’s 10K-per-deal hustle into a million-dollar multifamily investment in a single month.
At the heart of this conversation is a message every leader needs to hear: real transformation isn’t about learning AI for the sake of it—it’s about using it to build the business (and life) that will stand the test of time.
Meet Our Guest: Geoff Woods
Geoff Woods is a visionary business leader, bestselling author, and founder of AI Leadership. He’s the host of The AI-Driven Leader podcast and creator of The Collective, a vetted community of executives who are using AI to create future-ready businesses.
Geoff previously served as Chief Growth Officer of Jindal Steel and Power, where he helped grow the company’s market cap from $750 million to $12 billion in just four years. Earlier, he co-founded the consulting company behind The One Thing, advising businesses from $10 million to $60 billion in revenue.
His book, The AI-Driven Leader, offers a practical guide for leaders who want to harness AI strategically—not to do more busy work, but to think bigger, move faster, and lead in ways that truly matter.
What You’ll Learn in this Episode:
-
Why “knowing everything about AI” isn’t the goal—mastery of your strengths is
-
Geoff’s “CRIT” framework for using AI as a strategic thought partner
-
How The Collective helps leaders turn insights into action and real revenue
-
The danger of operational overwhelm vs. strategic clarity
-
Why every leader needs to rethink the business that could put them out of business
-
The surprising link between “The One Thing” mindset and AI leadership
-
How Geoff overcame impostor syndrome to become a global AI thought leader
-
Real-world stories of leaders using AI to 10x their businesses
-
How to tap into collective knowledge and stay ahead of rapid change
In this episode:
-
[00:00:00] Introduction and setting the stage for AI-powered leadership
-
[00:01:02] Geoff’s journey from asking questions to driving billion-dollar growth
-
[00:03:18] How asking better questions changed Geoff’s approach to AI
-
[00:08:45] Building The Collective: a global network of AI-driven leaders
-
[00:15:00] Using AI to pressure-test your business plan and rethink your North Star
-
[00:21:17] Why AI isn’t about replacing expertise—it’s about amplifying it
-
[00:26:23] The connection between The One Thing and Geoff’s AI philosophy
-
[00:32:31] How Geoff’s team uses AI to turn human strengths into superpowers
-
[00:37:48] Rethinking the business you’re in—and the one that could put you out of business
-
[00:40:39] The future of AI-driven insights and continuous strategic updates
-
[00:43:51] Where to find Geoff’s work and apply to join The Collective
-
[00:44:33] Final reflections on growth, leadership, and staying curious
Resources & Links
Geoff Woods
-
Book: The AI Driven Leader
-
Get Geoff’s prompt library: Send your book receipt to book@aileadership.com
-
Join The Collective: Apply at aileadership.com
-
LinkedIn: Geoff Woods
Ed Molitor
-
Website: https://www.themolitorgroup.com/