Game Changers with Molly Fletcher is our podcast designed to help you maximize your influence and unleash your potential. Each episode, we take you behind the scenes with peak performers to learn what makes them tick and discover how you can apply their lessons to your life. Join Molly each week to hear from her special guests— top athletes and coaches, transformative CEOs, brilliant thought leaders, and entrepreneurs and trailblazers from around the world. Subscribe now on iTunes or Google Play.

Recent Episodes

Amy Trask

Episode 59- Amy Trask on Negotiating Tactics from an NFL Executive

As the CEO of the Oakland Raiders, Amy Trask served as the highest-ranking female executive in the NFL. Today she’s a football analyst for CBS Sports and serves as Chairman of the Board of Ice Cube’s BIG3. In her book, “You Negotiate Like a Girl,” Amy reflects on her career in the NFL and the leadership lessons she learned on her journey. We talk about how she carved her own path from intern to CEO, her approach to negotiating, and why she never paid attention to gender despite often being the only woman in the room.

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“If the goal of a negotiation is to reach a deal, why not collaborate? “

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Show Notes

  • How her leadership style evolved over a 30-year career with the Raiders (2:16)
  • How Amy describes the culture of the Oakland Raiders (4:00)
  • The most important lesson she learned from Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis (6:40)
  • Understanding the importance of disagreement (9:04)
  • Why Amy says to stop thinking about your gender (10:33)
  • Define “work-life balance” how you want to, without judgment (12:09)
  • What went into her decision to leave the Oakland Raiders (14:13)
  • The story behind the book title “You Negotiate Like A Girl” (16:37)
  • Amy’s approach to negotiating (18:26)
  • Her role in settling litigation against the Raiders (24:05)
  • The biggest mistake people make when negotiating (27:06)

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Celeste Headlee

Episode 58- Celeste Headlee on Ways to Have a Better Conversation

Celeste Headlee’s TED Talk “10 ways to have a better conversation” has been viewed more than 17 million times. She’s an award-winning journalist and the author of We Need To Talk – How To Have Conversations That Matter. On this episode, Celeste shares the simple communication tools she’s learned through her research and job as a public radio host interviewing hundreds of guests. Her smart strategies are a guide to have more effective, more meaningful conversations at work and in our personal lives.

Follow Celeste: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

“A real conversation is a mutual exchange of ideas.”

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Show Notes

  • What inspired her TED talk, “Ten Ways to Have Better Conversations”(1:43)
  • How fear is preventing us from meaningful conversation (3:15)
  • What’s wrong with the most common advice about communication (5:15)
  • What makes a good conversation (6:56)
  • The only four times email is an effective business tool (7:41)
  • The $73B price of poor communication in the business world (11:26)
  • Are smart phones and technology at fault? (13:09)
  • Setting limits on your relationship with technology (15:52)
  • Tips for how to have better conversations (18:37)
  • The Sesame Street model for conversation (20:18)
  • The communication hacks that aren’t effective (21:18)
  • The consequences of multi-tasking (23:11)
  • The power of the pause in conversation (27:02)
  • Her new book project (32:02)
  • The harmful effect the mere presence of a cell phone has on human connection (35:39)

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Inky Johnson

Episode 57- Inky Johnson on Overcoming Adversity

As a college football player, Inky Johnson dreamed of playing in the NFL to make a better life for his family. Inky was on the way to achieving his dream when an injury changed everything. What should have been a routine tackle led to a life-threatening injury that ended his football career and permanently paralyzed his right arm. Instead of being defeated, Inky channeled his hardship into a powerful message of overcoming adversity. As a popular motivational speaker, Inky empowers audiences to embrace the daily challenges of life to live with a greater purpose.

Follow Inky: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

“The ability to learn is a gift even when pain is your teacher.”

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Show Notes

  • Growing up in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta in a two-bedroom home with 14 people (2:15)
  • What football meant to Inky as a kid (5:18)
  • Falling in love with the process and the structure of football (6:50)
  • What Inky learned about the power of forgiveness from struggling to repair his relationship with his father (9:04)
  • How he was able to maintain perspective and a positive outlook in the tough times (10:35)
  • The life-threatening injury that ended Inky’s college football career and changed his life forever (11:45)
  • What the doctors told Inky when he arrived at the hospital (13:56)
  • “Worrying is a down payment on a problem that you may never have.” (18:25)
  • The transition from high school to college football (19:50)
  • “Courage is the ability to start something without any guarantee of success” (23:00)
  • A defining moment in Inky’s life (24:40)
  • His journey after football (27:32)
  • The story of going to meet Oprah Winfrey (29:26)
  • The moment he realized the power of his story (36:09)
  • His advice for someone going through adversity (38:35)
  • Learning to trust change (43:31)

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Jon Dorenbos

Episode 56- Jon Dorenbos on Life is Magic- A Story of Resilience, Faith and Forgiveness

From the NFL football field to the stage of America’s Got Talent, Jon Dorenbos has captured the hearts of fans with his incredible story of perseverance. After the tragic murder of his mother by his father when Jon was 12, magic and football became his two outlets. He went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL- the majority with the Philadelphia Eagles- before a life-threatening heart condition ended his career. Jon also made it to the finals of the TV show America’s Got Talent, showcasing his skills as a magician. He is a regular on The Ellen Show and his book, Life is Magic, will be available in late 2019. On this episode, we talk about the trade that saved his life, embracing change, and showing up with a positive outlook no matter the circumstances.

Follow Jon: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

“Life always has a way of working itself out.”

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Show Notes

  • The family tragedy that changed Jon’s life (1:54)
  • The power of forgiveness (3:21)
  • How magic became Jon’s escape (4:29)
  • The balance that football and magic provided in his life (7:28)
  • Performance under pressure (8:55)
  • Why his goal in the NFL was to be the oldest player on the team (12:53)
  • The best advice he received as a football player (18:38)
  • How he learned to accept change (19:25)
  • The coach that had the greatest impact on him (21:34)
  • The trade to the New Orleans Saints that saved Jon’s life (22:45)
  • Choosing to see the positive and changing your narrative (25:34)
  • Undergoing heart surgery (29:44)
  • Andy Reid’s words that inspired Jon (30:53)
  • What the recovery from heart surgery was like (32:02)
  • Getting a Super Bowl ring from the Philadelphia Eagles (36:29)
  • The similarities between performing as an athlete and as a magician (40:31)
  • Jon’s appearances on The Ellen Show(42:39)
  • How Jon’s show was inspired by Carrot Top, Garth Brooks and Mike Tyson (47:28)
  • Jon’s book, Life Is Magic- coming soon(53:15)

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Daymond John

Episode 55- Daymond John on Real Life Lessons from Shark Tank and Beyond

Daymond John is a branding expert, investor, TV personality, author and motivational speaker. He made a name for himself as the founder of the lifestyle brand FUBU, growing the business from a makeshift factory out of his home into a multibillion-dollar company. Today millions of viewers know him as a judge on ABC’s Shark Tank. On this episode, Daymond shares his story of relentless perseverance and the practical advice he’s learned along the way. We talk about the idea of failing fast, his unique approach to setting goals, and his tips for negotiating deals.

“You’ve got to fail fast.”

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Show Notes

  • Where he got his entrepreneurial mindset (1:45)
  • The book that had a huge influence on him (3:46)
  • The idea that sparked FUBU (5:10)
  • How the business started to grow through three failures (6:48)
  • The entrepreneurial highs and lows as FUBU took off (8:00)
  • The story of how Daymond landed a manufacturing and distribution deal with Samsung that scaled the business (11:00)
  • How to handle success- “have a healthy paranoia” (11:48)
  • “Fail fast” and learn from it (13:59)
  • His leadership style (16:06)
  • Why he reads his goals before he goes to bed and when he wakes up (16:57)
  • A cancer diagnosis becomes a defining moment in Daymond’s life (19:05)
  • Negotiating tips from Shark Tank (21:36)
  • The biggest mistake people make when negotiating (23:20)
  • His relationship with the other judges on Shark Tank (24:17)
  • The two things that inspire him today (25:39)
  • His approach as an investor (27:46)
  • Daymond on Demand (30:36)

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Best of 2018

Episode 54- The Best of 2018

This special edition of Game Changers with Molly Fletcher features clips and insights from some of our most downloaded episodes in 2018. Hear from guests like bestselling authors Patrick Lencioni, Seth Godin and Daniel Pink, athletes and coaches like NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, and Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, and business leaders like Ginger Hardage (Southwest Airlines), Jenn Lim (Zappos), and Patty McCord (Netflix).

Show Notes

  • Three takeaways from Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney (1:37)
  • Patrick Lencioni on the difference between commitment and consensus (4:44)
  • Daniel Coyle on how to give “magical feedback” (6:15)
  • Juliet Funt on the four thieves of productivity (8:22)
  • Patty McCord on a defining moment in Netflix’s history that led to an overhaul of the company’s culture (9:48)
  • Daniel Pink on the importance of breaks (12:04)
  • Ryan Holiday on how to focus on the things we can control (13:50)
  • Joshua Medcalf on why he’s replaced “positive thinking” with “beneficial and constructive” thinking (15:23)
  • Emily Giffin on leaving her job at a prestigious law firm to pursue her dream of becoming a writer (17:15)
  • Herm Edwards on the difference between interested and committed (18:41)
  • John Smoltz on what baseball taught him about resilience(20:22)
  • Seth Godin on his new book, This Is Marketing (22:27)
  • Jenn Lim explains the “happiness heartbeat” exercise(23:11)
  • Bob Goff on loving everybody, always (25:24)

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Greg McKeown

Episode 53- Greg McKeown on How To Think Like An Essentialist

Greg McKeown is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.” Essentialism isn’t about getting more done in less time; it’s about getting the right things done so that you can make your highest possible contribution. On this episode, we talk about how to determine what is absolutely essential and eliminate what is non-essential, so that we can focus our time and energy on the things that matter most.

“If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.”

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Show Notes

  • The definition of essentialism (2:08)
  • The misconceptions people have about essentialism (2:36)
  • The moment in Greg’s life that was a wake-up call to embrace essentialism (5:52)
  • The problem with non-essentialism (7:11)
  • The three-step process to determine what is essential (11:00)
    • Explore what is essential
    • Eliminate what is non-essential
    • Create a system for executing what matters most
  • The questions to ask to filter what’s essential and what is non-essential (11:49)
  • Leadership is essentialism (15:19)
  • The paradox of success: the more options we have, the more we feel distracted from what would otherwise be our highest level of contribution.(18:17)
  • The 90% rule (25:48)
  • Greg walks Molly through the essentialism process (29:30)

 

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Leila Janah

Episode 52- Leila Janah on Reversing Poverty One Job At A Time

This episode was aired on November 29, 2018. Leila tragically passed away at the early age of 37 on January 24, 2020 due to complications from epithelioid sarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer. You can read more here. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Leila and her family.

 

Leila Janah is the founder and CEO of Samasource and LXMI, two companies that go beyond charity to give work to low-income people around the world to generate life-changing income. Leila is the author of the book Give Work. She was named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list and honored as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Women in Tech. On this episode, we talk about what’s broken about the traditional charity model, the biggest challenges she’s faced as a young entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and how to reverse poverty one job at a time.

“Purpose is the strongest driver of human ambition.”

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Show Notes

  • How a trip to Ghana at age 17 inspired the idea for Samasource (1:37)
  • What is Samasource? (4:45)
  • Why giving work is a more effective model than the traditional charity model (5:20)
  • An example of how the giving work model works (9:19)
  • The Samaschool training model in the United States (13:50)
  • The most important trait entrepreneurs must develop to succeed (17:08)
  • How she was able to persevere as an entrepreneur (19:57)
  • Why it’s important to integrate profit and purpose (26:49)
  • How she manages her energy (30:29)
  • Leila’s book, “Give Work: Reversing Poverty One Job At A Time” (35:11)

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Seth Godin

Episode 51- Seth Godin on The 3 Questions Every Marketer Should Ask

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, brilliant marketer and speaker who’s known for “making a ruckus.” He’s written 19 bestselling books including Permission Marketing, Tribes, and Purple Cow and has the most popular business blog in the world. Seth also runs the altMBA, a four-week online leadership and management workshop, and hosts the podcast akimbo. On this episode, we dig into Seth’s new book- This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See.  We talk about building a tribe, how to earn trust, and the three questions every marketer should ask.

“The goal isn’t to reach everyone; the goal is to make an impact.”

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Show Notes

  • Why Seth started his blog (2:04)
  • Why he isn’t interested in scaling (4:09)
  • The definition of marketing: “the act of making change happen” (5:29)
  • Don’t do work for everyone; do it for someone (7:40)
  • How he decides what book to write (9:40)
  • The three questions every marketer should ask (11:57)
  • Measuring the right data (16:11)
  • The concept of emotional labor (17:25)
  • The problem with authenticity at work (19:20)
  • The difference between brand marketing and direct marketing (21:09)
  • What is permission marketing? (23:59)
  • The biggest trap marketers fall into (26:22)
  • Pushing through the fear of change (29:30)
  • How to make difficult decisions (32:20)
  • Doing the difficult work of the non-urgent (34:06)
  • The shift in the industry Seth sees coming (35:24)

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Shabnam Mogharabi

Episode 50- Shabnam Mogharabi on Cultivating Joy, Gratitude and Connection

Shabnam Mogharabi is the CEO of SoulPancake, an award-winning digital entertainment company she co-founded with actor Rainn Wilson (better known as Dwight from The Office). SoulPancake spreads joy and celebrates the human experience by producing and curating thought-provoking, uplifting video content. Shabnam is also a New York Times bestselling author of SoulPancake: Chew on Life’s Big Questions. On this episode, we talk about how to craft a great story, being intentional about tuning into joy in our daily lives, and the power of tackling tough conversations.

“Storytelling is a bridge to connection.”

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Show Notes

  • The story and inspiration behind SoulPancake (1:47)
  • Why the company is called SoulPancake (4:02)
  • How SoulPancake chooses what stories to tell (5:00)
  • The pillars of SoulPancake’s content: connection, storytelling, leadership (6:06)
  • How to tell a great story using Pixar’s rules of storytelling (8:14)
  • Seligman’s contributions to happiness: compassion, small acts of service, and gratitude (12:10)
  • Do this one gratitude exercise to significantly increase your happiness (14:39)
  • The difference between the fleeting feeling of happiness and the internal state of how you perceive things (18:52)
  • What she’s learned about how to have tough conversations (23:40)
  • The metrics they use to evaluate success (26:02)
  • Sprint’s 1Million Project to close the homework gap (27:55)
  • The importance of uplifting stories (30:15)
  • What’s next for SoulPancake (31:58)

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