The Built Not Born Podcast

EP57: Changing Your Life Starts with Telling The Truth w/ Michael Unbroken

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

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👉 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

EP56: The Game-Changing Mindset of a "Learn-It-All" Leader w/ Damon Lembi

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

EP55: Be The Solution to a Problem w/ Jeremiah Brown

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.

EP54: Always an Athlete w/ Kelsey Gannett

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 

 

EP53: Exploring the Edge of Elite w/ Matt Nein

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 

EP52: A Life of Iron w/ Ryan Nosak

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 

EP51: Build A Brand Build Your Career w/ John Tarnoff

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 

EP50: How to Unleash Joy to Overcome Hard Times w/ Coleen Greco

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 

EP49: Leadership and Authenticity From a Super Bowl Champion Coach w/ Jamel Cooper

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 

EP48: Your Past Does Not Define You - From Handcuffs to Hollywood w/ John Petrelli

John Petrelli has been a professional fitness coach for over 30 years, having worked alongside some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Grammy-Award-winning recording artists to A-list Hollywood actors. He and his work have been featured in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, GQ, and Vogue, and shown on national television networks including NBC, CBS, The USA Network, and FOX TV.

In 2021, John's life took an unexpected turn when he became paralyzed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disease that landed him in the ICU.

With a lifestyle so heavily dependent on physical health and wellbeing, John needed to rely on his mental strength to overcome this disease. Through this experience the book "Confessions of a Hollywood Trainer" was born. An instant Amazon #1 New release followed by the release of a Teen Edition in 2024.

John has dedicated his new lease on life to helping others find their inner strength to overcome the obstacles they are facing.

 

We discuss: 

- How thoughts become actions

- The importance of your peer group

- Learning to move on from mistakes

- Becoming the person you want to be 

- Why mistakes are the magic for success