Your Champions Brew for Friday, July 15, 2022

Welcome back brew nation!  It’s the “Friday Coffee Guy” coming to you with another edition of The Champion’s Brew, a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership.  I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well.  Any of the points especially impact you?  Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going!  I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’!  Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!

Here is your weekly sip of what I have been reading, listening to or watching to equip me to:

• Stay Strong (continued from 7/8 Brew)– Last week, I talked about the podcast I listened to recently with Ed Mylett and Damon West which led me to purchase Damon’s book titled The Coffee Bean.  My wife, Chris, and I recorded a podcast last week about the book (you can listen to that here).  The book was a short read (about 30 minutes), written in fable format that follows a young man filled with stress and fear facing pressure at school and home.  The essence of the story comes down to this:  when we are faced with tough situations(depicted as a pot of boiling water), Abe can respond in one of 3 ways:
  • Like a carrot – If a carrot is placed in boiling water, it softens and becomes weak in its environment.  We tend to conform to the others around us
  • Like an egg – If an egg is placed in boiling water, the inside will harden.  Our heart tends to harden as we start to believe all the negativity around us
  • Like a coffee bean – If you place a coffee bean in a pot of boiling water, the bean actually transforms the water rather than the water transforming it.  If you respond to stressful situations like a coffee bean, you won’t allow the outside world to change you, but rather you CHOOSE to transform your environment!

So, what are you going to choose to BE? – Will you be a carrot that is weakened?  Will you be an egg that is hardened?  Or will you choose to be a Coffee Bean and transform your world for the better?  I know which one I will choose!

• Eat Healthy – Another podcast I listened to recently was from Max Lugavere where he interviewed Cynthia Thurlow, a nurse practitioner, on the topic of Intermittent Fasting and how it can help you lose weight and improve hormone health.  I thought she was very insightful.  Here are a few of my takeaways and the time stamp in the podcast when they were discussed:
  • 15:16 – Don’t rely on your doctor along to improve your health – The healthcare system, in general, has a way of putting a band-aid on some of the biggest health problems we have. If doctors did the hard work of giving feedback to patients that they need to move more, eat less processed foods, eat less often, and sleep more, we would improve health dramatically, but there is not much reimbursement for lifestyle changes! 
  • 19:47 – The exercise more eat less motto does not work long term –  It is not sustainable.  She goes on to discuss that weight loss resistance is a by-product of hormonal dis-regulation in the body.  The laws of thermodynamics still are true, but there is more to it than just burn more calories than you consume.
  • 32:53 – Intermittent fasting (time-based eating) requires us to retrain our mindset about food – We have been told for years to snack between meals and she suggests that we stop snacking and to focus on protein at our meals as protein will keep us feeling full (satiating) longer.

I think the Genius Life podcast is a good follow.  The episodes can be a little long but listening at 1.5 speed is tolerable and he brings on some really good guests.

• Network Well – People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!  Have you struggled for ways to start and keep a conversation when you meet someone new, or even with individuals you have known for a while?  I know I have.  Well, I just might have found some help for you.  I came across this post, 200 Questions to Get to Know Someone (and, if these 200 questions aren’t enough, they also wrote a piece titled 250 Conversation Starters )!

Here are a just few of my favorites:

• What’s the best book you have ever read?
• Who’s your go to band or artist when you can’t decide what you want to listen to?  (I also ask people what their karaoke song is!)
• Who inspires you to do better?
• What is an event in your life that has made you who you are?
• How do you get in the way of your own success? 

As I look at the list in this post, I know that I could STILL do better at getting to know more about others.  Time to start asking more questions!!

• Quote – “Champions don’t become champions in the ring – they are merely recognized there.  If you want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at their daily routine.”

What you need to do:

Call to Action:  So, tell me… What is an event in YOUR life that has made you who you are?  Your story is important.  Take some time to reflect on this question.  I would love to hear your story.  Share the answer with me via email, or on the blog.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.

Until next time eat healthy, read more, be a light and Grow Champions!

P.S. – Are you a podcast fan?  Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you.    Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast?  Do you have a story to tell?  Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!