Listen Now

Matt graduated from the University of North Texas in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. In Spring of 2020 Matt received his Master’s at the University of Denver in Sport and Performance Psychology where he acquired experience working with several sport domains as well as working at a center for eating disorders as a Behavioral Health Counselor. Matt is currently in his second year at the Toronto Blue Jays working as a bilingual mental performance coach in the MiLB system including the Dominican League, Gulf Coast League, and the Dunedin Blue Jays (Low A).   Matt, alongside the rest of the mental performance team, works with both Player Development and High Performance departments to encourage and support the mindset development of every player in the Blue Jays organization. This is achieved by working on the field, in one-on-one settings, and in small groups to enhance   You can check Matt out on Twitter @Matthew_Galvez or search him up on LinkedIn.

Never in the history of podcasts has a show had such important conversation around mental health, specifically eating disorders, and recovery mixed with so much random laughter and ridiculous sounds. This episode is with Jessie King, who brings so much amazing learning and laughter in one episode it was hard not to giggle while writing notes and editing the episode.  Jessie shares her journey from identifying that she needed help, asking for help, experiencing in patient treatment, relearning to be herself, and stable recovery. This conversation is great for anyone who is on a path that mental health has impacted, or those who know someone who has. As she prepares to embark on a two year Masters, Jessie reflects on the journey so far and shares coping tools for those with mental health challenges and reminders that hope is not as far away as it may feel right now.  You can follow her @13jessie94 on Instagram.  If you feel that you need someone to talk to text SHARE to 741741 to communicate with a trained professional now. 

Sunita L. Williams (Suni) was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 and is a veteran of two space missions Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33. She is currently training for the first post-certification mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and her third long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Williams and her crewmates are working closely with Boeing to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will provide roundtrip crew transportation services to the International Space Station and, along with SpaceX’s CrewDragon, return the ability to launch humans into space from United States soil. Personal Data: Born September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio to Dr. Deepak and Bonnie Pandya.  Considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Suni and her husband Michael enjoy hanging out with their dogs, working out, working on houses, working on cars, working on airplanes, hiking and camping. Education: Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts, 1983. Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 1987. Master of Science in Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995. Experience: Williams received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. After a six-month temporary assignment at the Naval Coastal System Command, she received her designation as a Basic Diving Officer and then reported to Naval Aviation Training Command. She was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1989. She then reported to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 3 for initial H46, Seaknight, training. Upon completion of this training, she was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in support of Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort. In September 1992, she was the Officer-in-Charge of an H-46 detachment sent to Miami, Florida for Hurricane Andrew Relief Operations onboard USS Sylvania. Williams was selected for United States Naval Test Pilot School and began the course in January 1993. After graduation in December 1993, she was assigned to the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate as an H-46 Project Officer, and V-22 Chase Pilot in the T-2. While there, she was also assigned as the squadron Safety Officer and flew test flights in the SH-60B/F, UH-1, AH‑1W, SH-2, VH-3, H-46, CH-53 and the H-57. She has logged more than 3000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft. NASA Experience: Selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998, she reported for training in August 1998.  Following the return of Expedition 1, Williams worked within the Robotics branch on the station’s Robotic Arm and the follow-on Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator.  As a NEEMO2 crew member, she lived underwater in the Aquarius habitat for 9 days.  After her first flight, she served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. She then supported a long-duration mission as Flight Engineer for Expedition 32 and International Space Station Commander for Expedition 33. Williams has spent a total of 322 days in space on two missions; she ranks second on the all-time U.S. endurance list for females. With 50 hours and 40 minutes, she is second on the list of total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut. Spaceflight Experience: Expedition 14/15 (December 9, 2006 to June 22, 2007).  Williams launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 2006, docking with the International Space Station on December 11, 2006.  As a member of the Expedition 14 crew, Williams served as Flight Engineer.  While onboard, she established a world record for females with four spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.    Expedition 32/33 (July 14 to November 18, 2012). Williams launched in July 14, 2012. Williams spent four months conducting research and exploration aboard the orbiting laboratory. She landed in Kazakhstan on November 18, 2012, after spending 127 days in space. With 50 hours and 40 minutes, Williams once again held the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut (has since been overtaken by Peggy Whitson with 10 spacewalks). In addition, Williams, who has spent a total of 322 days in space on two missions, now ranks sixth on the all-time U.S. endurance list, and second all-time for a female astronaut. She is currently training for the first post-certification mission of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and her third long duration mission aboard the International Space Station. Awards/Honors: Awarded DSSM (2), Legion of Merit, Awarded Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and various other service awards.   Follow Suni and her missions on twitter @astro_williams

Brandon Voss is the President of The Black Swan Group and has been with the company since its 2008 inception. In this role, he has established assessment procedures for new clients that enable the Black Swan team to customize its approach to each client based on their unique needs, situation, and corporate culture.  Brandon is Black Swan’s thought leader with respect to the three negotiator types: the Analyst, the Assertive, and the Accommodator. He has made it his mission to teach clients how to identify each of these three types of negotiators and has developed a methodology for dealing with all of them in the most successful way possible. Ever since he was a kid, Brandon has had a strong work ethic. As soon as he was old enough to pick up a shovel and use a hammer, Brandon started working with his grandfather, an entrepreneur who worked as a gas delivery middleman and owned and operated several convenience stores. When he was 14, Brandon opened his own yacht detailing business that he ran until he was 19, overseeing a crew of five workers during that time. Brandon credits his grandfather with the entrepreneurial spirit that has always seemed to be in his blood. After that, Brandon made the leap to sales, working for Macy’s in retail sales before joining Verizon for business-to-business sales. Based on his extensive experience with various selling approaches, Brandon has been instrumental in adapting the FBI’s hostage negotiation techniques to the business world. Realizing that the timetable is different in the business world than in the world of high-stakes hostage negotiations, he created the Short Game, a needs assessment procedure that helps in the critical discovery process phase of negotiation. In addition to training clients, Brandon has served as a guest lecturer at places such as the USC Marshall School of Business and Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, and at Policy Innovators in Education Network functions.   Check Brandon out on Twitter @BVoss1 and go to www.blackswanltd.com to learn more about who they are and what they do. 

This week’s guest is a perfect fit for International Women’s Day as she’s been in service of women for decades. However, as usual on Real Learning with Real People, we separate what Lezlie States (commonly known as Coach Lez) has done from who she is. Yes, she’s done some amazing things like being the Vice Commissioner of the Maritime Women’s Basketball Association, founding and operating the Maritime Elite Girls Basketball Academy, and getting a ton of recognition as a community build and trailblazer. But Coach Lez is also a family woman, raising three sons in over 25 years of marriage, and always connecting to each of the young women who’ve been in her orbit. Coach Lez has a way of creating a high level of psychological safety, which is how I felt comfortable diving into topics such as race and sex in this conversation, in addition to talking about her role with the new Maritime Women’s Basketball Association. You can follow the Maritime Women's Basketball Association on Instagram @the.mwba or Twitter @the_mwba. You can also follow Coach Lez on Instagram @coachlez. 

Growing up and playing sports in Anchorage, Alaska are two starting points that make a person interesting all on their own. But add in playing goalie on an NCAA hockey team thousands of miles from there and you have a recipe for some very interesting learning.  Gabi Gibson is a goalie for NCAA Division III school Anna Maria and joins us today in order to talk about how she approaches her craft and student life. Her laid back attitude has both pros and cons and she really shows up for us in order to share how she manages academics, athletics, and the rest of her busy life.  You can follow Gabi on Instagram & Tik Tok @gabi__gibson

In this episode we talk with Team Canada Volleyball Alumni, founder of Ready in Five Inc and founder of Volley IQ Jessie Niles! Jessie’s volleyball career took her to the University fo Alberta but has now taken her all the way around the world as a member of Team Canada and while playing professionally.  Jessie’s volleyball life is a part of her, but not who she is completely, and we discuss that in depth in this conversation.  We will be discussing the transition from post secondary and professional athlete life to a more “typical” lifestyle that has it’s own challenges. In this conversation Jessie stays super real and raw with us and I appreciate her so much for being one of the most authentic people we’ve ever had on.  You can follow her businesses on Instagram @getreadyin5 ⏰ & @volleyiq.ca 🏐 or her personally @jessieniles. You can also follow her on LinkedIn or Twitter, or go to www.getreadyinfive.com. 

Bryce Tully is on the show today and to be honest there was multiple times in this episode where I felt like quoting step brothers’ “did we just become best friends?”. Prior to co-founding Innerlogic, Bryce worked as a mental performance and culture consultant for the Canadian Olympic Team, which is coincidentally the team that I have a dream of coaching with…hint hint to our listeners. Bryce has extensive experience helping high-performance groups enhance their results using social-emotional strategies.  In the most recent Olympic quadrennial, Bryce was hired by our women’s basketball team to help shift and grow their culture in service of a historic first podium result. During this four-year period, the team achieved its highest world ranking in history. Now, Bryce and I have known each other for awhile, but we are now loving playing in the same sandbox of measuring culture. We both are building culture measurement tech, we both love basketball, we both love the mind, and we both really enjoy learning.  You can find Innerlogic at https://www.innerlogic.com/ or follow Bryce on Twitter @bryce_tully

Shawnees works with athletes, parents, and coaches from all sports, as well as managers and leaders from all walks of life. She is a two-time Olympian as an Assistant Coach for the Canadian Women’s Basketball Team and one of the most highly certified coaches in Canada. With over 26 years of elite coaching and leadership experience, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, FIBA Americas and World University Games, my resume is deep and broad. She has a Master’s Degree in Coaching Studies and is also a Master Coach Developer and Master Learning Facilitator for the National Coaching Certification Program, where she trains and mentors both advanced and novice coaches from all sports.  You can follow Shawnee on Instagram @shawneeharle, Twitter @shawneeharle, or go check her out at www.shawneeharle.com.

Craig Burgess is a graphic designer by trade, but is also practicing the habit of making mistakes, creating a lot, and finding true joy in learning along the way. Which is just one of the reasons why we connect so well.  On this episode we talk about the vacuum that exists in the world for curiosity and humanity, while also making sure to find time to laugh and, at the very least, find ourselves entertaining. Craig teaches some great lessons in this episode by being authentic throughout, which makes it really easy to listen to him and hear him out on his approach to learning and growth in all areas. Additionally, he talks about the value of Twitter in today's world and how to personally brand yourself.  Don't miss his book "Press Start" or his podcast "Get Doing Things". Be sure to preorder his next book, "The Magic Visual" here.  Check Craig out at his website Get Doing Things or follow @_unobvious on Twitter.

Gamechangers is a special series from Real Learning with Real People. The purpose of Gamechangers is to have university/college athletes tell their real stories that they have experienced in who they are as people, and what they do as athletes. These are meant to provide authentic learning and insight into lessons that will be beneficial for a wide range of people, but specifically have impact on student-athletes.  This week's guest is Haily Weaver, who is a basketball player at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. Haily shares her experiences in post secondary sport, including discussing her experience with sexual assault. Haily's experiences have a broad applicability as she played on an elite high school team (Jasper Place Rebels in Edmonton, Alberta) and also is a transfer athlete having started her career at The University of Victoria. TRIGGER WARNING: This conversation is not meant to provide advice or psychological insight, but instead is to offer learning that is accessible to others who have experienced something similar. If you feel it is necessary, be sure to check with your psychological support system before listening as guests on Gamechangers share vulnerable, and sometimes traumatic, stories.  Real Learning with Real People's "Gamechangers" is brought to you by The Boost Institute Revival Therapeutics and Performance Four Quarters Media This episode is guest hosted by Mark Cruz. If you ever need someone to talk to, never hesitate to reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting "SHARE" to 741741 or searching them on Facebook and Instagram. 

  Dr.David Legg is a Professor of Physical Education and President of The International Federation Of Adapted Physical Activity. He holds a PhD from the University of Alberta, an MHK from the University of Windsor, and a BPE from McMaster University.    He is also the Past President of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and past board member for the 2015 Pan Parapan American Games in Toronto. David has also served on the International Paralympic Committee’s Sport Science Committee and, recently as a consultant, David worked with the Calgary BidCo for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Listed below are some of his publications and presentations:  Selected Publications Misener, L., McPherson, G., McGillivray, D. & Legg, D. (2019). Leveraging Disability Sport Events: Impacts, Promises, and Possibilities, Routledge. Legg, D. & K. Gilbert (2011). Paralympic Legacies, Commonground Publishing, Illinois, USA Legg, D., Misener, L & Fay, T. (2019) Olympic and Paralympic Sport. In M. Li, G. Bravo, & E. MacIntosh (Eds.), International Sport Management. (2nd Ed). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Legg, D. (2018). Paralympic Games: History and Legacy of a Global Movement, Special Issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America on Para and Adapted Sports Medicine, Eds Drs. Y. A. Tuakli-Wosornu & W. Derman. Gerard, S., Legg, D. & Zintz, T. (2019). The governance of the Paralympic Movement: An Institutional Perspective, In Winand, M. & Anagnostopolous, C., Chapter 12, Research Handbook on Sport Governance, Alger.   Selected Presentations Legg, D. (2019). Sport for Persons with Disabilities: from Selection and Inclusion to Optimal Performance, Keynote Presentation at the Khorfakan International Conference for Persons with Disability and Adapted Physical Education, Sharjah, UAE. Legg, D. (2019). The future of Paralympic Sport, Keynote Address at the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity Symposium, University of Virginia. Legg, D. (2018). The IPC and UN Creating a Better Future, Korean Paralympic Committee Forum, Gangneung, Korea. Su Jung, K., Legg, D., Tajima, H. & Chappelet, J. (2017). The Conceptualisation of Medical and Health Legacies, 26th Japan Disability Sports Conference , Tokyo. Legg, D., Panikowiak, A., & Higgs, C. (2016). Understanding the Para Sport Athlete Pathway: Focus on Participation, Presentation at the International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport Conference, Santos, Brazil. David can be followed on LinkedIn and Twitter @davidfhlegg 

The leadership skills required to coach a university varsity athletics team are multi-faceted, but different than those required to be at the helm of a national level program. That’s one reason why capturing success and helping to grow people at both levels is so impressive.  My guest today has done just that, with a resume of successful outcomes Coach Carly Clarke goes into her processes that build culture and relationships that truly matter.  Carly is a native of Halifax, NS and received an MBA from Dalhousie to add her Bachelor of Science that she received form Bishop’s, which was also where she spent her playing career.  Her resume is dotted with medals of all colours in the Ontario and Canadian championships, as well as multiple on the international stage with Canada’s women’s national teams. These include a silver medal performance at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and a gold medal at the 2015 FIBA America’s U16 Championship.  In this conversation we dive into the great learning and perspective that she has from her years in coaching, building culture, and her mindset on learning. But we also talk about how to create opportunities for women to pursue, and succeed in leadership positions.  You can follow Carly on twitter @Carly_Clarke, Instagram @carlyclarke83 and follow the Ryerson Rams @ryersonramswbb on Instagram.

Dr. Diem Mooney who is the Chief Experience Officer at Carpe Noctem Consulting and Coaching who has more degrees than decades on earth, autism, and a way of approaching challenge and change that flat out matters. Dr.Mooney served in the US Navy as a Senior business Analyst and has consulted for the FBI and NSA as well. He holds multiple degrees in various areas of psychology and computer science, as well as certificates in change management and human resources.  He has worn many hats as a change management professional, behavioural scientist, and more as he helps enhance the practices of organizations from all fields.  One of the most impressive aspects of the accomplishments I’ve name so far is that Diem still has yet to reach 30 years old and, as we speak about in this conversation, he is a savant. Now the term savant is used in multiple ways but Hughes et al defined it as a condition where prodigious talent can co occur with developmental conditions such as autism spectrum conditions. This is relevant because Diem and I discuss how this has impacted his life and learning. I really enjoy this conversation with someone who is making organizations better by improving them from a behavioural psychology perspective. But I also believe this conversation to be important so as to share the mindset around learning and creating change that Diem has.  You can follow Dr.Mooney on LinkedIn.

Amy Johnson is from The Confidante Miami Beach. You may have stayed there or heard of it because it is a part of the Unbound Collection by Hyatt Brand. Now,  If you’ve ever stayed at a Hyatt property, you know they have some seriously great properties, but even greater people working at them.  Amy is a hospitality professional with more than 30 years of industry experience, she’s served as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Calgary and began her Hyatt career in 2000, after an impressive run at Fairmont Hotels. In her career she’s been trusted with properties such as the Hyatt Regency O'Hare where she helped relaunch the hotel after its $175 million renovation. Amy then transitioned to the Hyatt's corporate office to support the revenue, sales and events division as Director of Events for The Americas from 2007-2015. On top of all this, Amy has been the Sales and Events lead for opening and transitioning more than 45 hotels, so it’s fair to say she can manage just about anything.  Amy is on this show because of who she is AND what she’s done. I’ve known her now for a couple years, and we have often joked that it feels like we’ve known each other forever. And I give all the credit to her because she’s so authentic and empathetic in how she shows up for people that she’s really made our friendship and professional relationship so rich and meaningful that I can’t thank her enough. I know you’ll love the conversation with Amy because you’ll be able to feel the connection to her through her great stories and authentic communication.  You can follow Amy on LinkedIn. 

Alan Stein, Jr. is someone I’ve looked up to since I was first entering the coaching world over ten years ago. He teaches proven strategies to improve organizational performance, create effective leadership, increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines. Now, in the world of basketball, Alan has spent over 15 years working with some of the highest performers in the world. People like Kevin Durant, Step Curry, the late great Kobe Bryant himself, and many others.  Alan has taken the knowledge he’s spread further than the basketball court though, as he uses many of his concepts in business and corporate training too. In this setting, Alan has worked with companies like American Express, Pepsi, Sabra, Starbucks, Charles Schwab, and many more. You absolutely have to check out his books, Raise Your Game: High Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best, which is available just about everywhere and well worth the read.  Follow Alan on most platforms @AlanSteinJr (Twitter) @alansteinjr (Instagram) and check out his website by clicking here.  

If you’ve followed the NBA then you’re going to have heard the name of our guest today. Michael Grange has been reporting and writing about basketball for various organizations for a long time.  Many people know him as one of Sportsnet’s reporters who covers basketball at various levels. He’s interviewed some of the biggest current and past names in the sport at the NBA level. In addition, he’s really helped to grow the game in Canada by giving some awesome coverage to the Canadian University and College players that are in America, as well as the ones who stay North of the border. I’ve been a fan of Michael for a long time, since first reading a piece of his on the Tannenbaum’s when he was still at the Globe and Mail. Michael has a connection aspect to his work that really makes you want to listen/read it. Currently, he spends a lot of his time interacting with the Toronto Raptors and we do talk more about them than I intended to because I just could help it.  In this conversation, he joins us from his car while on the way to the studio to report on the Raptors run in the 2020 NBA playoffs. You can follow him on Twitter @michaelgrange or watch him on Sportsnet. 

My guest this week is incredibly humble, especially considering she literally could beat me up and also stole my man. Retired Marine Corps Veteran Kelsey De Santis has served her country in a variety of ways, including protecting two former US presidents as a K9 Handler, and as a martial arts instructor. On top of her great work in service of her country, she has fought MMA and trained with famous UFC fighters such as Amanda Nunes.Besides this she does so much great work for veterans and in training women and children about self defense in order to give them increased capacity to feel safe in the world. Now, as I alluded to in the opening, Kelsey asked one of my idols (and man crushes) Justin Timberlake to the Marine Corps Ball once…AND HE WENT WITH HER. So she essentially had my dream date. On top of all of this she is a mom and is championing so many great causes that are important so I highly encourage you to check her out. In this chat we go into body image, the value of safety, and of course JT…plus a few other very  interesting topics. Here’s my chat with Retired Marine Corps Veteran Kelsey De Santis. You can follow Kelsey on Instagram @kelseydesantis and Twitter @kelseydesantis. 

ULU stands for Uluntu, Lungisa, Usawa, or in english Humanity, Justice, and Equity. The founders of ULU are Hedeyiah Karimian, Kadre Gray, and Litha Ncanisa; who is our guest on the show today.  The group has designed some unreal clothing to get their message out, but they are so much more than just clothing. They are making a real difference in the world through their supports for minorities.  Their youth mentorship program is aimed to make marginalized youth feel supported in any way they might feel they need support to optimize their individual growth and growth of their communities.   Their youth engagement and education sessions are designed to empower youth self-esteem and encourage their professional and personal growth. In them they examine Black history in a positive light. They teach black youth that people resembling themselves are kings, inventors, leaders and far achieving, beyond the perpetuated history where their history begins and ends with slavery.  Additionally they also run allyship training and  support students through scholarship programming.  They have tough and important conversations, they spread a message that makes the world a better place, and this episode is just that. Litha and I go right toward some topics that, I have to admit I was nervous to talk about and that’s exactly why we had to talk about it.  Make sure you check out their website at www.uluntu.ca and their awesome merchandise by clicking here. You should also be sure to follow them on Instagram @ulu_2019

Opher’s history is intertwined with the history of his native Israel. During his early years, he witnessed holocaust refugees fighting for their survival against the enemies surrounding them. Following that, he helped grow the advanced generation of talents in the fields of arts, science, and business. Some were involved later in cyber technology and security in the 8200 unit and then they went on to grow the startup business environment in Israel. Since 1984, Opher has been researching, constructing, and applying unique methodologies, which have demonstrated that people can develop multi-disciplinary talent and the innovators’ mind contrary to the popularly held concept that talent is “natural” and “inborn”. He has developed many novel models such as his models of Talent Development, Management Strategies, and Personal Business Relationships and I strongly recommend you look into his work as companies like Microsoft and HP have trusted his work for years.  In 2007, he initiated the “STAGES” program, which brought more than 2,000 children from various socio-economic groups and introduced them to the process of acquiring multi-disciplinary talent as well as the Innovators mind, training the new generation for challenges in 2030, 2040 and beyond.  He is now coaching many people using his Coaching By Measurement model and his goal is to share his 40 years of knowledge for training in business and education with the younger generations and the teachers of the future. You can follow Opher and his work at https://www.stages.global/  Or check him out on twitter @opherbrayer on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.