Monthly Archives

November 2022

Nov 30
Love20

Bob Fitzgerald

By Fun, Professional Athlete, Sports One Comment

Sports, sports, sports! Fans of the Golden States Warriors will definitely recognize his voice, but did you know he’s also done broadcasting for water polo at the Olympics, boxing, and more? Listen to this episode to get an inside look at the fascinating world of sports broadcasting.

In this episode:

  • How competitive it is to be a sports broadcaster
  • Alabama football
  • Stephen Curry
  • Notre Dame
  • His thoughts on Brian Kelly leaving to go to LSU
  • Shifting from accounting to sports
  • What makes hockey players different
  • The really competitive thing Michael Jordan did
  • Calling water polo in the Olympics
  • Something he hasn’t had the opportunity to call but would love to
  • Concussions in the NFL and what could change

Watch the video version here:

Quotations:

“I really spent a lot of days thinking just how fortunate I have been and how lucky I’ve been.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“It’s okay to be emotional. It’s okay to have fun.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“Short to be kicking people in the shins; I think you want to have fun at what you do.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“I’m a Notre Dame graduate. See, there’s a difference. You have fans, and then you have graduates.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“For me, Alabama is one of the most iconic programs of all time. And Nick Saban is the greatest coach in the history of the sport. They’ve been on a run, 15 years or so, that really has been unequal.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“If you love doing it and you’re still skilled at doing it, and it’s a part of what you look forward to, you should do it as long as you’d like to.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“I could live with an adjustment in the sport if it means less brain damage for people who play it [American football].” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“You need good fortune to smile on you for your team to achieve their best potential. There are no championship teams that sailed through without good fortune, and there are no championship teams that have their five best players injured.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

“I love Steph [Stephen Curry] more than his mom and dad love Steph.” ~Bob Fitzgerald

Guest’s Bio:

About American sports commentator Bob Fitzgerald:
One of the most recognizable sports personalities in the Bay Area, Bob Fitzgerald has served as television play-by-play announcer for the Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area since 1997. He called his first Warrior game on radio, Feb 18, 1993, as the backup radio play-by-play broadcaster and host of the Warriors Roundtable television programs. Since his arrival, the Warriors broadcast team has received 16 nominations and won three Emmy Awards for “Best Live Sports Broadcast,” most recently for NBC Sports Bay Area’s broadcast of the Warriors vs. Kings game during the 2014-15 season that featured Klay Thompson’s NBA-record 37 points in a single quarter. Fitzgerald has received six Emmy nominations for “Best On-Camera” and was awarded the Emmy for “Best On-Camera, Play-by-Play Sports” for Northern California in 2007 and 2014.

On a national basis, Fitzgerald currently calls NFL and college football games for Sports USA Radio and the San Francisco 49ers preseason broadcasts. He has 25 years of experience broadcasting the Olympic games for NBC Sports, and has called the 2021 Tokyo Olympics (Men’s and Women’s Basketball). Additional credits include NBC’s 2012 London Summer Olympics (Men’s and Women’s Basketball), 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics (Men’s and Women’s Water Polo), 2004 Athens Summer Olympics (Men’s and Women’s Basketball), and the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics (Men’s and Women’s Swimming). Fitzgerald was also chosen to call the NBA Playoffs in 2020 for TNT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. Fitzgerald has also handled network television NFL broadcasts for NBC and the NBA G League Finals series for Versus in 2010.

In 2019, Fitzgerald finished a 28-year run at KNBR radio in San Francisco, hosting the popular Fitz and Brooks show for 15 years. Fitzgerald was the television and radio voice for the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League for twenty years and spent six years as the play-by-play voice for ESPN’s NBA Basketball video game series. He also wrote a column for the Oakland Tribune and ANG Newspapers for seven years.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Fitzgerald also received his master’s degree in sports management from the Ohio State University. While at Notre Dame, he worked as a play-by-play broadcaster for Fighting Irish football and basketball on campus radio station WVFI.

An avid golfer, Fitzgerald lives on the Peninsula with his children, Erin, Ryan, and Quinn.

Guest’s Contact Info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Fitzgerald
Nov 23
Love20

Nicolle Galyon

By Fun, Music, Personal Growth, Philosophy No Comments

This episode is sponsored by:

To say Nicolle is a hit songwriter might be an understatement. She has written songs for Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, and many others. Galyon has written nine No. 1 hits including “Automatic,” Miranda Lambert’s chart-topping lead single from her critically-acclaimed album Platinum, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart and featured five songs by Galyon.

In this episode:

  • Starting off as a pianist
  • Giving herself permission to make a record despite not wanting to be a performer
  • Having three #1 songs in a year
  • Looking for the next “one”
  • Where “Disneyworld” came from
  • Having a very humble beginning
  • Why she tells her kids “no”
  • How moving out of Nashville was the catalyst for First Born
  • Making songs NOT meant for radio
  • How not winning class President in high school was a gift
  • Being back in her hometown
  • How not knowing her biological father shaped some of her music

Quotations:

“It’s really always been about the words for me.” ~Nicolle Galyon

“My career kind of started to work about 10, 12 years ago when I started just to let go of the music and lean in more to the story ” ~Nicolle Galyon

“I have really awesome relationships with so many men in the business, and I work really well with guys. I have so many guys that I feel like we’re like brother and sister, and I’m so thankful for that.” ~Nicolle Galyon

“I definitely have a growth mentality. I challenge myself in every way possible. But there also comes a time where the best thing you can do is to just kind of, excuse my French, but give less shit.” ~Nicolle Galyon

Guest’s Bio:

(Per Wikipedia)

Originally from Sterling, Kansas, Galyon made her way to Nashville, Tennessee in 2002 to attend Belmont University for Music Business. At Belmont, Galyon discovered her passion for songwriting [1] and signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Nashville shortly after graduating in 2006.[2] In 2012, Nicolle appeared on The Voice as a contestant on Adam Levine‘s team.[3] There she met RaeLynn and Miranda Lambert, two friendships that she accredits to kickstarting her songwriting career.[3] Galyon earned her first #1 song with We Were Us performed by Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert. With cowriters Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby, Galyon won the 2015 ACM’s ‘Song of the Year, and the 2014 CMA’s single of the year for Miranda Lambert, performing the hit song Automatic. Since then, Galyon has had songs recorded by RaeLynn on her album WildHorse, Dan + Shay on their album Obsessed, Kenny Chesney on his album Cosmic Hallelujah, Florida Georgia Line on their album Dig Your Roots, Lady Antebellum on their album Golden, and Thomas Rhett on his album Tangled Up, among others. Galyon partnered with Big Loud to launch the female-focused record label Songs & Daughters. The label was announced in July 2019 and signed Madison Kozak as its flagship artist. In 2020, Galyon expanded Songs & Daughters to include a publishing arm. In 2020, Galyon served as a producer and writer on iHeartRadio scripted podcast “Make It Up As We Go.” Nicolle Galyon currently resides in Nashville.

Galyon is heavily involved in the CMA Foundation’s music education initiative and served as an NSAI Board Member & CMT Next Women of Country mentor. Galyon has worked with Save the Music + SongFarm to put music studios in high schools throughout the country. She also provides a college scholarship to a senior at her alma mater, Sterling High School, each year through the Autobiography Scholarship.

Galyon married songwriter Rodney Clawson on October 13, 2007. They have two children together, daughter Charlie Jo Clawson born May 29, 2013, and son Ford Sterling Clawson, born April 14, 2015.

Guest’s Contact Info:

www.nicollegalyon.com
Nov 16
Love19

David Taylor-Klaus

By Author, Faith, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Philosophy No Comments

This episode is sponsored by:

In this intense yet uplifting conversation, David Taylor-Klaus is open and honest with Gary about his suicide attempt and what he does now to keep himself on track. This episode will make you think while also lifting you up.

In this episode:

  • Internal self-awareness
  • External self-awareness
  • Being a thought leader
  • Ticking people off
  • Whether or not it’s ok for your family to judge you
  • Attempting suicide
  • The impact Hurricane Katrina had on him
  • The problem with the term “Work/Life Balance”
  • Why you can’t separate work and life
  • Being in a relationship with what you’re doing

Quotations:

“How I got here was by being a cautionary tale. Wisdom comes from making some screaming mistakes and doing it the wrong way for a long, long. And so all of the wisdom I’ve amassed comes from beating my forehead against the wall over and over and over again for a really long time.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“When you’re not aware of your, of your wake, you can do some damage.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“When you own those F-ups, when you own the negative impact, when you own the icky, unintended impact, then you can clean it up.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“For every one person who has a bad experience, they’re 10 quietly happy people.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“To truly be a thought leader, you’re going to be a target because you’re going to tick people off because thought leaders are willing to stand in the fire and talk about what they believe, and not everybody’s going to believe the same thing. And so people are going to be ticked off.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“What we remember of someone or what we see of someone and how we judge someone is always through the lens of who we are. It almost has nothing to do with who they are.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“Not everybody actually lives their values, and part of what happens is the energy drain, and living in constant discomfort can come from living a life that’s out of sync with your values.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“Humor’s one of the ways I cope with the world, good, bad, or ugly.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“Children of parents who commit suicide are 50 times more likely to attempt suicide in their life.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“The work has to be for you. It has to be for yourself, which was the tipping point for me when the work became for me, when staying became for me, when I realized I had something to give, something to do, some impact to have, I was here for a reason.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“Clinical depression is feeling sad when things are going well, and it’s inexplicable to someone who, pleasantly for them, has never experienced it. It’s when everything looks fabulous, and you feel like you can’t move.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“There is so much to offer this world because normalizing mental health struggles is the next front.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“Words create worlds. The language we use is indicative of what’s going on inside, and it shapes our reality. And the phrase work-life balance is so awful. It’s just awful.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

“When we measure our success with the number of zeros we have in the bank, what happens when you wake up on October 30th, 1929, and you got zero in the bank? Holy crap, right? It’s not about the money you have, it’s about who you are and what you know and what you’re able to do.” ~David Taylor-Klaus

Guest’s Bio:

David’s personal and professional worlds clearly reflect a journey in pursuit of excellence, always with a great deal of humor and heart. He is known for his sharp intellect and incisive ability to see and say what others do not. He balances fierce candor with genuine compassion … aka “an iron fist in a velvet glove.”

Whether working with individuals or teams or speaking to large groups, David believes that a powerful leader exists in each of us; his goal is to empower others to unearth and unleash their own leadership mastery. From personal experience, he drives home the importance for all professionals to take an active, intentional, and dynamic role in their private and professional lives.

The mission of DTK Coaching is to reintroduce successful business people to their families and the world outside the office.

Through an informed, well-applied process and an inspired approach, David’s clients overcome the overwhelming aspects of succeeding in business and being a part of a family. DTK Coaching helps them create the kind of Life-Work Balance they only dared to imagine was possible while also achieving dramatic shifts in their performance.

David’s insight and wisdom are built on his three decades as a successful serial entrepreneur.

Prior to establishing DTK Coaching, he was CEO of Digital Positions (DP), an internet strategy and web development firm he co-founded in 1995 and sold in 2009. As a strategist, he worked with C-level executives, senior management teams, and boards of directors to broaden their perspective and see how interactive initiatives support corporate visions and values for positive growth.

It was during this time, however, that David realized that his success came from being reactive rather than proactive and that he wasn’t participating consciously as a husband, father, business partner, or entrepreneur.  As he headed toward rock bottom, David had a significant wake-up call that ultimately resulted in DTK Coaching. 

(It’s a great story… read how really bad it got)

Recent empty-nesters (a status modified due to the pandemic), David and his wife, Elaine, live in the heart of Atlanta with their dogs. A gold-medal rower in the 2004 Georgia State Games, an avid cyclist, and an enthusiastic wine collector (and drinker), David also enjoys kickboxing, really great jokes, and laughing with others … and at himself.

Guest’s Contact Info:

Home New

Nov 09
Love18

Lynn Abaté-Johnson

By Author, Caregiving, Grief, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Philosophy No Comments

This episode is sponsored by:

In this brutally honest conversation, Lynn Abaté-Johnson gets candid about her journey as a caregiver and talks about how she was able to finally care for herself the way she cared for her mom in her final years. We also talked about her recently released book Out of Love where she chronicles her journey and provides resources and systems for caregivers.

In this episode:

  • Being a caregiver while juggling her career
  • Keeping it a secret
  • Turning her mom’s cancer diagnosis into a “business”
  • Why she put the book on pause
  • Removing the hustle mindset
  • Being a caregiver while juggling being a wife
  • Changing to a healthier lifestyle
  • When her mom realized she wasn’t going to beat cancer
  • Feeding stress with food
  • Incremental changes
  • How to squeeze gifts out of hard situations
  • How the book morphed into being about her

Quotations:

“If I didn’t take that [her caregiving journey] and learn from it and transform my own life in very personal ways, there would be no point in telling the story.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I went into production mode, and I did one of the things I do best, which is, I created–I jokingly said at times–we turned my mom’s cancer diagnosis into a business, and everything was documented. That really helped us with the emotional support we needed.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I was doing the best job I could for her, at the same time freaking out myself that my mom was gonna die. That was the whole first year. Pretty much I could say I freaked out about me. It was a very selfish perspective. Like, ‘Well, okay, you have cancer, but what am I gonna do without you?’ I didn’t say that to her because I didn’t want her to feel bad. But I had this panic about losing my mom all of a sudden.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I still believe that about every family member. We’re all doing the best we can. There’s a Ram Dass quote that I love that says ‘We’re all just walking each other home.’” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I used to say to my mom, ‘Mom, your cancer’s gonna kill me. Forget about you. It’s gonna kill me.’” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“It was a very different world in 2011 when we got the diagnosis to the point where I couldn’t really be myself; I just had to figure out how to compartmentalize and then just do my job and still be a rockstar at work.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I would go home, and I would fall apart. That’s when I would cry. That’s when I would curl up into the fetal position and be like my little girl self with my husband.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“You know, all of those things that sounded like criticism from my mom before, you never stop hearing that.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I used to joke that, damn, I keep hearing mom’s voice in my head telling me what to do. ‘Can you please stop?’ And it hasn’t changed since she died. I still hear her voice in my head, but now it’s more of a comfort.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

 “We didn’t really admit that we were control freaks until we got that diagnosis. And I’m perfectly willing to say I’m a recovering control freak.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“What am I really hungry for at this moment? So that’s a question I ask myself. Is it food? Is it really food, or is it something else? If it’s something else, then I have tools now that I’ve learned through all of my coaching and everything that I really can pull myself back into what’s really happening now.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“Truthfully, when I was in the trenches and in the muck of being a caregiver for my mom, I did a terrible job of taking care of myself.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“With all of the chaos swirling around, I have to believe that there is hope, and I have to believe that we are going to do a better job of taking care of ourselves and taking care of each other as we learn about our mistakes and, we just really try to do a better job, and doing a better job can be incremental.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I am really committed to honoring everybody where they are in this moment.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“I didn’t die. I didn’t die when my mom died. I thought I would; I could not imagine being on this earth without her. And yet she’s still very much with me. Every time I see the hummingbirds, I say, ‘Hi, Mom.’ And it brings me a smile.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

“It’s not my weight to carry. I can only carry my own weight, and I don’t want it to turn into me blowing up physically again or having so much inflammation on my body that I’m so miserable and I can’t function.” ~Lynn Abaté-Johnson

Guest’s Bio:

After being a primary caregiver for her mother for over six years, author Lynn Abate-Johnson understands the typhoon of emotions and responsibilities that come with caring for a loved one. However, she discovered how to blossom through (and after) caregiving rather than let it drown her. 

By using her natural organizational skills and her solid work ethic, she developed systems and processes to help navigate the difficult journey of caregiving, which allowed her to go from “What am I going to do without my mom?” to “I know I can thrive after she’s gone–just as she would want.”

Like most caregivers, Lynn juggled caregiving duties with a full-time career. In her daily life, she’s a business consultant and global community builder. 

She’s been building businesses from the ground up from a young age, with her first business being a network of family roller skating rinks in the Detroit, Michigan metro area. She is currently growing the global community as “the voice” of the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), one of the world’s most respected leadership development and professional coach training organizations.

As part of her devotion to developing global communities that make a difference by connecting human beings, she speaks with cohorts of caregivers to help them discover they’re not alone, everything’s going to be ok, and there are tools they can use to ease the burdens they might feel as caregivers. Her book Out of Love: A Daughter’s Journey With Her Mom To The End provides care for caregivers by giving them the emotional and practical support they need.

About the Book:
Lynn’s words offer a uniquely personal glimpse into her journey as a daughter of a strong mother, along with her own transformation in the aftermath of being a caregiver.

Lynn’s approach removes the stigma of grief, Her expressive and often vulnerable ways of sharing help to normalize what many families may take for granted or miss in their often overwhelming and new experience as caregivers. There will be discomfort, shame, guilt, and layers of conditioning to discover in this book, with the goal of bringing light to the dark and peace to the soul.

These words are also interactive, meaning you will find practical, logistical tools and resources on the accompanying website: LynnAbateJohnsonBook.com.

Guest’s Contact Info:

LynnAbateJohnsonBook.com