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Hosted by former Division 1 football coach turned mindset and leadership entrepreneur, David ”Coach Kitch” Kitchen, The Built Not Born Podcast brings you stories and lessons from leaders, athletes, and entrepreneurs who embody what it means to live in The Arena and to prove once and for all that leaders are #BuiltNotBorn
Episodes

16 hours ago
16 hours ago
In this episode of the 'Built, Not Born' podcast, host David Kitchen welcomes Wayne Barringer, CEO of Jaro Group, to discuss his transformative experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and how it reshaped his approach to leadership. They explore key principles such as owning your calendar, understanding your superpowers, and defining your vision. Through engaging stories and actionable insights, Behringer illustrates the importance of leadership vulnerability, the value of guided mentorship, and the impact of creating a growth mindset in teams. This conversation is packed with practical advice and wisdom for leaders and entrepreneurs striving for excellence.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:34 Wayne's Journey to Climbing Kilimanjaro
03:59 Lessons from the Climb
06:32 Applying Climbing Lessons to Leadership
10:05 The Importance of Mentorship and Coaching
14:35 Evaluating and Developing Teams
19:36 Time Management Strategies
30:20 Exploring Detail Orientation and Self-Judgment
31:08 Harnessing Competitiveness and Pain Tolerance
32:34 Understanding Superpowers and Team Dynamics
33:24 Living in HD: Awareness and Consistency
35:18 The Power of Non-Judgment and Neutrality
35:57 Embracing Your Superpowers
38:35 Vision, Mission, and Values in Leadership
45:56 KPIs and Employee Satisfaction
47:09 Building Trust and Shared Goals
51:34 Addressing Conflict and Collaboration
56:38 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
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Drop us a 5-star review and share this episode with someone who needs it!
👉 Connect with Wayne Barringer:
🔹 Website: Jaro Group
🔹 LinkedIn: Wayne Barringer
🔹 Company LinkedIn: Jaro Group
👉 Connect with David Kitchen & Edge Leadership Academy:
🔹 Website: Edge Leadership Academy
🔹 LinkedIn: David Kitchen
🔹 Instagram & Twitter: @CoachKitch
🔹 Join The Arena: The Arena Community

Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
EP57: Changing Your Life Starts with Telling The Truth w/ Michael Unbroken
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
In this episode of the 'Built, Not Born' podcast, host David Kitchen sits down with Michael Unbroken, an entrepreneur, award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and advocate for adult survivors of childhood trauma. Michael shares his harrowing personal journey from a traumatic childhood, including abuse and homelessness, to becoming a successful coach and public speaker. He emphasizes the importance of honesty, self-discipline, and aligning with one's values. This powerful and inspiring conversation provides deep insights into overcoming adversity and the path to personal and professional transformation.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:37 Michael's Early Life and Childhood Trauma 06:05 Turning Point and Pursuit of Success 07:29 Self-Sabotage and Rock Bottom 14:43 Journey to Healing and Transformation 21:50 The Power of Truth and Authenticity 27:58 The Power of Truth and Authenticity 29:04 Journey to Self-Love and Confidence 30:24 Self-Preservation and Personal Growth 32:23 Building Confidence Through Action 38:51 The Importance of Values and Boundaries 45:19 Business Journey and Authenticity 51:37 Final Thoughts and Wildcard Questions
🎧 Enjoying the show?
Drop us a 5-star review and share this episode with someone who needs it!
👉 Connect with Michael Unbroken:
🔹 Website: ThinkUnbroken.com
🔹 LinkedIn: Michael Unbroken
🔹 Instagram: @MichaelUnbroken
🔹 Podcast: Think Unbroken Podcast
🔹 Book: Think Unbroken (Available on Amazon)
👉 Connect with David Kitchen & Edge Leadership Academy:
🔹 Website: Edge Leadership Academy
🔹 LinkedIn: David Kitchen
🔹 Instagram & Twitter: @CoachDKitch
🔹 Join The Arena: The Arena Community

Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
EP56: The Game-Changing Mindset of a "Learn-It-All" Leader w/ Damon Lembi
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
Wednesday Mar 19, 2025
In this episode of the 'Built, Not Born' podcast, host David Kitchen welcomes Damon Lembi two-time bestselling author, host of the Learn It All podcast, and CEO of Learn It. Damon shares his journey from a high school baseball All-American drafted by the Atlanta Braves to leading a company that has upskilled over 2 million people and the hard lessons he learned along the way.
They delve into the importance of overcoming limiting beliefs, the significance of empathy in leadership, and the power of building a strong team. The conversation also covers valuable lessons from Damon's sports career, the challenges of leadership, and how to foster a positive organizational culture. This insightful discussion provides practical advice for aspiring leaders and anyone aiming to achieve high performance in their field.
00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 01:17 Damon's Early Baseball Career 02:52 College Baseball Challenges and Lessons 06:59 Transition from Baseball to Business 12:43 Building a Career at LearnIt 18:48 Leadership and Team Building 27:11 Hiring for Potential: Joe's Story 29:04 The Importance of Company Culture 29:46 Character Over Credentials 32:24 Tough Decisions in Leadership 36:11 Coaching and Letting Go 38:05 Empathy and Competitiveness in Leadership 46:29 Final Thoughts and Wildcard Questions
🎧 Enjoying the show?
Drop us a 5-star review and share this episode with a friend!
👉 Connect with Damon Lembi:
🔹 LinkedIn: Damon Lembi
🔹 Website: LearnIt
🔹 Podcast: The Learn-It-All Podcast
🔹 Book: The Learn-It-All Leader (Available on Amazon)
👉 Connect with David Kitchen & Edge Leadership Academy:
🔹 Website: Edge Leadership Academy
🔹 LinkedIn: David Kitchen
🔹 Instagram & Twitter: @CoachDKitch
🔹 Join The Arena: The Arena Community

Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
EP55: Be The Solution to a Problem w/ Jeremiah Brown
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
In this episode of the 'Built, Not Born' podcast, host David Kitchen welcomes Jeremiah Brown, a former NFL player turned motivational speaker, author, and leadership coach. They discuss the importance of emotional intelligence and relational building in leadership, the concept of transferable skills from athletics to business, and the critical role of preparation, awareness, trust, and heart work in developing confidence. Brown shares insights into his 'training camp' period as an entrepreneur, emphasizing the importance of off-season preparation. This inspiring conversation is packed with practical advice for athletes, leaders, and anyone looking to succeed in their endeavors.

Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
EP54: Always an Athlete w/ Kelsey Gannett
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Kelsey Gannett is an educator and the founder of The Retired Athlete Coach, a company that seeks to hold space for all retired athletes after they leave their athletic organizations.
We dive deep into:
- Navigating the identity of an athlete
- Making room for your identity after athletics
- Changing your relationship with competition
- Finding your new tribe
- Transferring skills from athletics to life

Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
EP53: Exploring the Edge of Elite w/ Matt Nein
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
In his 20th year as the Assistant Athletic Director and Coordinator of Sports Performance at Salisbury University, Matt oversees the training programs of 21 varsity teams
During his tenure, Matt has had the opportunity to work with 14 National Championship teams, eight individual National Championship athletes, and over 340 All-Americans.
In 2018, Matt was named the NSCA's Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year after being a finalist in 2016 & 2017.
This conversation is an absolute masterclass on:
- Culture building in action
- Player led teams
- Good vs. Elite
- The power of consistency when optimizing for performance
- Creating leadership opportunities

Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
EP52: A Life of Iron w/ Ryan Nosak
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Ryan Nosak has lived a life that is anything but ordinary. After finding his passion for strength training, he spent 10 years in collegiate strength and conditioning at the highest levels including Penn State, Vanderbilt, Robert Morris University, UNC-Charlotte, Tennessee State, and DePaul. During his career he’s coached professional athletes, and spent time being mentored by legends of coaching.
Ryan stepped away from college athletics in 2020 to build his own company, RyNo Strength, based in Chicago. He’s expanded from a personal training business to a top online coaching brand focused on helping ex-athletes lose weight and boost energy without giving up pizza, alcohol, or their social life.
This conversation centers around:
- Overcoming adversity using Stoic Philosophy
- Building a career in college athletics
- The realities of starting your own business
- What most people get wrong about health and fitness
- How to balance life, fitness, and business

Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
EP51: Build A Brand Build Your Career w/ John Tarnoff
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
John Tarnoff is an executive and career transition coach, Tedx speaker, and best-selling author who helps mid-career professionals land better jobs and build more meaningful and sustainable careers. He’s worked with clients like Bank of America, Levi-Strauss, Softbank, and TD Ameritrade. After reinventing his own career at 50, John earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology to share his career lessons with others going through similar challenges. He has also led career workshops for MBA alumni in career transition, including for UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and Cornell's SC Johnson College of Business.
This conversation is full of leadership, career building, and brand building lessons such as:
- Utilizing brand building as a career path
- Identifying your own super powers
- Leveraging network to beat the line when it comes to hiring
- Understanding how to stand out from the crowd online

Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
EP50: How to Unleash Joy to Overcome Hard Times w/ Coleen Greco
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Wednesday Jul 17, 2024
Coleen is a compassionate, empathetic and boldly authentic human being but she wasn’t always this way. Like many, she’s been plagued by her own self defeating thoughts - some of them she’s carried for over four decades! Through her own journey of self discovery, spiritual exploration and personal crisis she managed to transform her life into the most unimaginable source of joy.
Today, Coleen is a Joyologist. She provides mindset and nutrition coaching as well as personal training to people who feel stuck and want to reclaim joy in their life. As a motivational speaker, she works with individuals and corporations around the globe teaching folks how to reclaim their joy using the SNAP Method™.
Coleen gives us insights into:
- Becoming the architect of your life
- Retiring limiting beliefs
- Fueling your life for success
-How mindset is the keystone to joy

Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
EP49: Leadership and Authenticity From a Super Bowl Champion Coach w/ Jamel Cooper
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Wednesday Jul 10, 2024
Jamel “King” Cooper is a super bowl champion and a seasoned strength and conditioning expert. With a decade of experience in D1 and the NFL, he has left his mark at institutions like Middle Tennessee State University, Wake Forest, and Louisville. Most recently, he was part of the coaching staff for the Los Angeles Rams' win in Super Bowl 56.
We dive deep into
- The sacrifices to get to the top
- The power of relationships in building a career
- Discipline vs. Motivation
- What separates the great from the elite
- Managing mental health as a high performer