Jamey Rootes on Creating a Winning Game Plan
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Release Date: 05/21/2021
Patrick Murphy on PERSON over athlete team culture, “Affirmation Bags”, & Power of Tiny Gains at Alabama Softball
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Coach Patrick Murphy is the Head Softball Coach at the University of Alabama. His career accomplishments rank among the very best in college sports, with a career winning percentage of 78%, winning the National Championship in 2012, and leading the Crimson Tide softball team to the NCAA tournament for a remarkable 22 straight years. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to University of Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy about building the culture of his program by prioritizing the PERSON first - athlete second, capturing his players’ hearts with “Affirmation Bags”, and The...
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Tyler Johnson: Developing team trust, The intangibles of Self, and obtaining buy-in on a team
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Tyler Johnson is a mental skills and performance coach and host of the Elev8 Podcast. His primarily focus is working with student-athletes and coaches to elevate attitudes and potential through a focus of strength and balance of mind. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Tyler about coach Mark Farley and the rise of the Northern Iowa football program, how leaders can develop team trust, and the intangibles of self in elite leaders and high performers. Check out on the that Tyler hosts, and follow Tyler on and Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and...
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Hunter Sims: Being a college AD, recruiting and hiring the best, and effective team communication
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Hunter Sims is the Director of Athletics at Howard Payne University, where he spent 6 years as an assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and head coach of the school’s football program before his promotion into the AD role. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Hunter about appreciating the “invisible paychecks” coaches receive, how he developed his one-year onboarding program to help 1st time head coaches successfully transition into an unfamiliar role, and what he looks for when he’s hiring a head coach to lead one of Howard Payne’s athletic programs. Get Evan’s book, , to...
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Joan Ryan of the San Francisco Giants on the Science and Soul of Team Success
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Joan Ryan is the senior media advisor for the San Francisco Giants and the author of the book "Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry." In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Joan about team chemistry and how it affects performance, why trust among teammates and co-workers is crucial to building great chemistry, and how relationships influence the team dynamics within the locker room. Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and organizations. To stay up to date with...
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Brian Decker on How Character Plays into Selecting the Best, Evaluating NFL Players, and Building a Winner in Indy
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Brian Decker is the Director of Team Development for the Indianapolis Colts and was previously Commander of Special Forces Assessment and Selection for the U.S. military. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Brian about his model for talent assessment, how character is the bridge between talent and performance, and how the Colts’ see the culture of their team as a competitive advantage. Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and organizations. To stay up to date with Evan and The...
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Kelvin Beachum: On his 11-year NFL Career, Locker-Room Leadership, and Giving Back
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Kelvin is an 11-year NFL player currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, and is also a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee for his volunteer and charity work. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Kelvin about his success in professional football despite being an “undersized” NFL Offensive Tackle, the great leadership ability of Mike Tomlin and Todd Bowles, and leaving a legacy of serving others in his community. Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and...
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Steve Mellor: Performance coach, former college swim coach, and host of the Career Competitor podcast
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Steve Mellor is a performance coach, former college swim coach , and host of the Career Competitor podcast. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Steve about his competitive swim career, his transition to becoming a career and executive coach, and setting a minimum standard to achieve sustained success. Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and organizations. To stay up to date with Evan and The Highest Level podcast, sign up for . -- Buy Evan's book, EVAN BURK is an author, speaker,...
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Mitch Ford (Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets) on the legendary coach who helped him, working with stars, and winning credibility
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Mitch Ford is a former basketball coach with experience working as an NBA player development coach with the Dallas Mavericks and a Front office assistant with the Charlotte Hornets. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Mitch about how a NBA coaching legend helped him get his start in the NBA, working first-hand with great NBA players Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, and the commonalities among the best cultures in the NBA Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and organizations. To stay up to...
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Brittni Donaldson on being the youngest female coach in NBA history, the ignored factors with evaluating basketball players, and winning an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Brittni Donaldson is a former NBA assistant coach and data analyst with the Toronto Raptors and currently serves as the Director of Coaching Development for the Hamilton Honey Badgers, and co-founder of Strata Athletics. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Brittni about coaching across genders as a female NBA coach, the factors that are ignored when evaluating NBA talent, and winning an NBA championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. Get Evan’s book, , to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and...
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Alan Stein Jr. on strategies to improve performance, how NBA stars Kevin Durant and Victor Oladipo blend confidence with humility, and his new book, Sustain Your Game
The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk
Alan Stein Jr. is a speaker, author, and performance coach who spent 15 years working with the highest-performing basketball players on the planet, including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Alan about how he embraced being “the warm-up guy” to set the foundation for his career, how great athletes raise their game by focusing on the basics, and how professional basketball players hone their mental management techniques to sustain their game in basketball and in life. Buy Alan’s book, Get Evan’s book, , to learn...
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Jamey Rootes served as President of the NFL's Houston Texans for 20 seasons. Before joining the Texans, he was president and general manager of the Columbus Crew in the MLS, and recently published his book, "The Winning Game Plan".
In this conversation, I talk to Jamey about how to create an identity as a new NFL Franchise, the habits that helped form the winning culture in Houston, and the great mentors that influenced him in his career.
Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and organizations.
To stay up to date with Evan and The Highest Level podcast, sign up for Evan's leadership newsletter.
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Topics Discussed:
- 2:00 | The camaraderie that helped Clemson win 2 National Championships
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4:30 | Being a team executive in professional soccer
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7:45 | Creating an identity as a new NFL franchise
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10:15 | Leading from the front office with the Houston Texans
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14:30 | Building the team culture and having the values drive behaviors
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18:45 | Importance of trust in building relationships
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22:00 | Admitting mistakes as a leader and utilizing After Action Reviews
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25:45 | JJ Watt and Andre Johnson as "Triple Threats"
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31:00 | Influence of mentors on Jamey's career
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33:00 | Putting his leadership philosophy into his new book