The Standard
This isn't motivation. This is a movement. The Standard Podcast™ calls out the lies culture sold athletes and raises a new standard in sports, leadership, and life. Hosts Erin Sarles and Thomas Roe brings raw, truth-packed conversations with athletes, coaches, and leaders about identity beyond performance, discipline that lasts, and legacy that matters. 20-25 minutes of hard-hitting truth you won't hear anywhere else. Raise the bar. Rebuild the culture. Become the standard.
Episodes
71 episodes
Former D1 Athlete — What Every Student-Athlete Needs to Know About NIL, Taxes, and Legal Protection Before It's Too Late | Ep. 70 Aaron Ray: J.D., LLM
Most conversations about NIL start with the opportunity.Aaron Ray starts with the liability.Aaron Ray is the Founder of Two Percent Consulting — a NIL consulting, legal strategy, and athlete protection practice built at the inters...
US Sports Camps, 40 Years of Youth Sports, and What It Actually Takes to Build a Program That Develops the Whole Athlete | Ep. 69 Brian Sackinsky
Brian Sackinsky has spent over 40 years at the center of one of the most important conversations in youth sports.Not just how to win. How to develop.As a key figure at US Sports Camps — one of the most recognized names in youth sp...
30 Years in Athletics, NIL Certified — Why Income Protection Is the Foundation Everything | Ep. 68 John Bronkhorst
Most financial conversations with athletes start with the money.John Bronkhorst starts with the asset that creates it.John Bronkhorst spent 30 years as an Athletic Administrator and Coach before becoming a Financial Professional w...
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From NCAA Division I Track to 27 States — Why Lasting Wealth Is Built From the Inside Out | Ep. 67 Freddie Gladney
Most people build their business from the outside in. Freddie Gladney has spent 12 years proving that the only way that works is the other direction.Freddie Gladney is the Founder and CEO of Gladney Family Enterprises — a leadership-driv...
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He Learned He Could Compete at 25. Two Years Later He Was on the Paralympic Podium in Paris. | Ep. 66 Ryan Medrano
December 2022: first training session. August 2024: two silver medals at the Paris Paralympics.Less than two years.Ryan Medrano was born with cerebral palsy in Savannah, Georgia. He was 25 years old when he found out — on Season 4...
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From Professional Football to NIL Smart Hub — Helping Families Make Smarter Decisions | Ep. 65 Dr. John DeWitt
Most NIL conversations start with the opportunity.Dr. John DeWitt starts with the decision.Dr. John DeWitt is a former professional football player, Vanderbilt graduate, and founder of NIL Smart Hub™ — an education-first platform ...
The Financial Coach Helping Athletes Answer 'Now What?' After the First NIL Check | Ep. 64 Leslie Callison
The NIL check arrives. And then comes the question nobody prepared athletes for: Now what?Leslie Callison has spent her career building toward the answer.With 16 years teaching high school personal finance and 27 years in sports p...
From Emory Basketball to LinkedIn — Building Athlete After and Advocating for Life Beyond Sports | Ep. 63 Evan Coleman
The end of athletic competition is not the end of the story. Most athletes don't know that yet. Evan Coleman is working to change it.Evan Coleman is a marketer at LinkedIn, creator of the Playbook for Success newsletter, and host of Athl...
From Stetson Football to Social Playbook — Turning Social Presence Into Pipeline | Ep. 62 Chase Coleman
Most people treat social media like a lottery ticket. Chase Coleman treats it like a craft.The difference shows up in the results — and in what gets built.Chase Coleman is the founder of Social Playbook, a boutique content strateg...
20+ Years of Wealth Management — Building Legacy Through Comprehensive Financial Planning | Ep. 61 Brad Mayer
Most people manage money. Very few build legacy.Brad Mayer, CFP®, has spent over 20 years helping high net worth individuals, families, and business owners understand the difference — and build the latter.As Executive Director and...
From Southern University Athlete to MBA CEO — The Pivot Operating System for Athletic Success | Ep 60 Evan Alexander
NIL changed everything for college athletes. Most of them are navigating it without a framework.Evan Alexander, MBA, is working to fix that.Evan is the Founder, CEO, and Lead Coach of Pivot Athletic Consulting — and a former South...
From NCAA Champion to Air Force Academy — Developing Leaders of Character | Ep. 59 Abby Brenner
Most athletes compete to win. Abby Brenner chose to compete for something bigger.Abby Brenner is the Director of Development at the United States Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation — and a former NCAA Division I student-athlete who w...
From Ukraine Immigrant to Olympic Gold — The Power of Perseverance | Ep. 58 Lenny Krayzelburg
A 14-year-old boy arrives in Los Angeles from Odesa, Ukraine. No English. No money. A 45-minute bus ride each way to practice. Home by 9:30 PM. Every night.That boy became a four-time Olympic gold medalist.Lenny Krayzelburg is one...
From Devastating Knee Injury to First-Round NFL Success — The Power of Perseverance | Ep. 57 Alex Molden
Some setbacks look like the end.Alex Molden's looked like three torn ligaments — ACL, MCL, and PCL — suffered during the Independence Bowl while playing for the University of Oregon. A knee injury that severe doesn't just threaten a seas...
Division I Baseball, Three Cancer Battles, and Building Resilient Personal Greatness | Ep. 65 Chris Vasami
Most people talk about resilience. Chris Vasami has had to live it — three times.Chris Vasami is a former Division I baseball player at Notre Dame and Elon University, a Colorado Rockies draftee who achieved his lifelong dream of playing...
From 11-Time All-American to Stanford Coach — Building Champions in Life and Sport | Ep. 55 Katie Robinson
Most programs build fast swimmers.Katie Robinson builds complete people — and the results speak for themselves.Katie Robinson is the former Associate Head Coach for women's swimming and diving at Stanford University, a two-time me...
36 Years, 1,401 Games, and the Legacy Beyond Wins | Ep. 54 Tim Neiman
868 wins. 36 years. 14 Coach of the Year awards.And Tim Neiman will tell you straight — none of that is the point.Tim Neiman is the DeSales University Head Coach with one of the most decorated careers in NCAA Division III baseball...
Building Authentic Athlete Brands and the First NIL Children's Book | Ep. 53 Greg Glynn
Most athletes get one shot at NIL. The ones who build something lasting are the ones who knew who they were before the deal arrived.Greg Glynn has spent 20 years helping athletes get to that place.Greg is the Founder & CEO of ...
From UCLA to NFL to Entrepreneur — Leveraging Athletic Discipline for Business Success | Ep. 52 Demetric Felton
The discipline that built the athlete can build the business. Most people know that. Almost nobody knows how to actually do it.Demetric Felton does.A UCLA graduate and professional football player with NFL experience, Demetric is ...
Helping Athletes Design a Fulfilled Life After Sports | Ep. 52 Steven Davis Jr.
The jersey comes off. The identity crisis begins.For most athletes, leaving the game isn't just a career transition — it's a loss of self. The structure, the team, the purpose, the identity — all of it changes at once. Most people aren't...
From Big Ten Champion to Mental Strength Coach — Pushing Through Psychological Resistance | Ep. 51 Joel Honigford
Most people think mental toughness is something you either have or you don't.Joel Honigford knows better — because he's lived both sides of that lie.Joel is a Mental Strength and Conditioning Coach who specializes in pushing teams...
The Neuroscience of Performing Under Pressure | Ep. 50 Dr. Kiersten Janjigian
What actually happens in your brain when the stakes are highest?Most athletes train the body. Fewer train the mind. Almost none train the brain — and there's a difference.Dr. Kiersten Janjigian is a neuroscientist and mental perfo...
From Grey Cup Champion to Mental Performance — The CRUSH-IT System | Ep. 49 Jaime Elizondo
From Grey Cup Champion to Mental Performance Expert: Jaime Elizondo's Journey to Elite ExecutionThe difference between high potential and elite performance isn't talent — it's the mental performance systems that allow someone to e...
Cultivating Truth and Rediscovering Identity in Christ | Ep. 48 Troy Dennison
From Business to Ministry: Troy Dennison on Cultivating Truth and Rediscovering Identity in ChristIn a culture that often defines identity through performance, achievement, and external validation, Troy Dennison offers a different...
TRoe FBombs and Building Athletes From Average to Asset | Ep. 47 Thomas Roe
Co-Founder Spotlight: Thomas Roe on Character Development and His New Book "TRoe FBombs: From Average to Asset"In this special episode of The Standard Podcast™, Erin Sarles turns the interview lens on her co-founder and partner in...