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PODCAST

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk

At the intersection of sports and leadership, The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk features thought-provoking conversations with athletes, coaches, and leaders in sports, to reveal how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

sports management

All Episodes

15:54

Phil Jackson: How to Lead Champions (Championship...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2025/08/05

Phil Jackson Leadership Case Study - How to Lead Champions How do you coach Michael Jordan? Phil Jackson didn’t just manage the greatest player ever - he transformed him from individual superstar into the ultimate team leader. In this deep dive, discover the 5 leadership principles Jackson used to win 6 NBA championships with the Bulls: Mindful Awareness, Me-to-We Transformation, Compassionate Confrontation, Vision-Driven Culture, and Invisible Leadership. These aren’t just basketball strategies -

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47:08

Patrick Murphy on PERSON over athlete team culture,...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/09/17

Coach Patrick Murphy is the Head Softball Coach at the University of Alabama. His career accomplishments rank among the very best in college sports, with a career winning percentage of 78%, winning the National Championship in 2012, and leading the Crimson Tide softball team to the NCAA tournament for a remarkable 22 straight years. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to University of Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy about building the culture of his program by prioritizing the PERSON

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59:36

Tyler Johnson: Developing team trust, The intangibles...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/09/09

Tyler Johnson is a mental skills and performance coach and host of the Elev8 Podcast. His primarily focus is working with student-athletes and coaches to elevate attitudes and potential through a focus of strength and balance of mind. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Tyler about coach Mark Farley and the rise of the Northern Iowa football program, how leaders can develop team trust, and the intangibles of self in elite leaders and high performers. Check out Evan’s appearance on the Elev8

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59:46

Hunter Sims: Being a college AD, recruiting and...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/08/16

Hunter Sims is the Director of Athletics at Howard Payne University, where he spent 6 years as an assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and head coach of the school’s football program before his promotion into the AD role. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Hunter about appreciating the “invisible paychecks” coaches receive, how he developed his one-year onboarding program to help 1st time head coaches successfully transition into an unfamiliar role, and what he looks for when he’s hiring a

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58:02

Joan Ryan of the San Francisco Giants on the Science...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/07/19

Joan Ryan is the senior media advisor for the San Francisco Giants and the author of the book "Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry." In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Joan about team chemistry and how it affects performance, why trust among teammates and co-workers is crucial to building great chemistry, and how relationships influence the team dynamics within the locker room. Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing teams are built

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01:09:06

Brian Decker on How Character Plays into Selecting...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/07/05

Brian Decker is the Director of Team Development for the Indianapolis Colts and was previously Commander of Special Forces Assessment and Selection for the U.S. military. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Brian about his model for talent assessment, how character is the bridge between talent and performance, and how the Colts’ see the culture of their team as a competitive advantage. Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden

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38:57

Kelvin Beachum: On his 11-year NFL Career,...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/06/14

Kelvin is an 11-year NFL player currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, and is also a two-time Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee for his volunteer and charity work. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Kelvin about his success in professional football despite being an “undersized” NFL Offensive Tackle, the great leadership ability of Mike Tomlin and Todd Bowles, and leaving a legacy of serving others in his community. Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how

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42:35

Steve Mellor: Performance coach, former college swim...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/06/03

Steve Mellor is a performance coach, former college swim coach , and host of the Career Competitor podcast. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Steve about his competitive swim career, his transition to becoming a career and executive coach, and setting a minimum standard to achieve sustained success. https://careercompetitor.com/ Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character traits that drive all elite performers and

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57:10

Mitch Ford (Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets)...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/05/24

Mitch Ford is a former basketball coach with experience working as an NBA player development coach with the Dallas Mavericks and a Front office assistant with the Charlotte Hornets. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Mitch about how a NBA coaching legend helped him get his start in the NBA, working first-hand with great NBA players Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, and the commonalities among the best cultures in the NBA Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing

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54:51

Brittni Donaldson on being the youngest female coach...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/05/13

Brittni Donaldson is a former NBA assistant coach and data analyst with the Toronto Raptors and currently serves as the Director of Coaching Development for the Hamilton Honey Badgers, and co-founder of Strata Athletics. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Brittni about coaching across genders as a female NBA coach, the factors that are ignored when evaluating NBA talent, and winning an NBA championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about

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53:49

Alan Stein Jr. on strategies to improve performance,...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/04/29

Alan Stein Jr. is a speaker, author, and performance coach who spent 15 years working with the highest-performing basketball players on the planet, including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Alan about how he embraced being “the warm-up guy” to set the foundation for his career, how great athletes raise their game by focusing on the basics, and how professional basketball players hone their mental management techniques to sustain

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43:55

Kevin Eastman on working with Doc Rivers, Kevin...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/04/22

Kevin Eastman is an author, speaker and former NBA coach. Kevin has coached the game at the college and professional levels over a career spanning 35+ years, and recently published his first book, Why The Best Are the Best. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Kevin about what he learned working for with Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett’s “silent work ethic”, the team concept that separated the 2008 Boston Celtics NBA championship team, and the most important components to achieving success in

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01:03:21

Yogi Roth on Playing and Coaching Football, Working...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/04/14

Yogi Roth is a storyteller, a Pac-12 Networks college football analyst, former college coach, Award-Winning Filmmaker, Best-Selling Author, World-Traveler and podcast host. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Yogi about what he learned working for Pete Carroll at USC, what separates the great athletes he’s worked in his career, and how he elicits a wide-range of emotions through his storytelling. -- Learn more at YogiRoth.com Yogi's books: From PA to LA, and Win Forever with Pete Carroll

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44:15

Rick Sessinghaus on coaching Collin Morikawa, and...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/04/08

Dr. Rick Sessinghaus is a Mental Performance Coach, Author, Speaker, and Flow Trainer for high performance golfers. He has been a mental performance coach for some of the top amateur golfers and teams in college, and is currently the Swing and Mental coach for one of the top golfers in the world, PGA Tour winner Collin Morikawa. In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Rick about his coaching journey with top PGA golfer Collin Morikawa, the background and mental makeup that helped separate Collin

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39:43

Ryan Larsen on Becoming a Head Coach, Developing...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/02/25

Ryan Larsen is the head football coach at Carnegie Mellon University. Coach Larsen also worked at Indiana University, Wabash, Rhodes College, and Columbia University. In this conversation, Evan Burk speaks with Ryan about how his elite organizational skills, creating a culture that is all about the team, and how he evaluates both the person and the player in the recruiting process. Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how high-performing teams are built and the hidden character

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01:06:25

Josh Boyd on Judging a Player’s Makeup, Evaluating...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2022/01/07

Josh Boyd is the Assistant General Manager of the Texas Rangers, where he oversees all functions of pro player evaluation and the R & D department. Boyd has been with the Rangers since 2008 serving in roles within Player Personnel and Pro Scouting, and spent 4 seasons as an area scout with the San Diego Padres. Photo: John Gilchrist (Rotary Club of Park Cities) In this conversation, Evan Burk speaks with Josh about how he went from a baseball writer to Major League Scout, the skill set makes a good

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47:36

Dickey Simpkins on Michael Jordan's Leadership, How...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2021/12/24

Dickey Simpkins is an NBA Scout, TV Analyst, and 3-time World Champion as a former NBA player. He led Providence College to a Big East title his senior year in college, played on 3 championships teams with 4 Hall of Famers on the late 1990's Chicago Bulls, and has served as an NBA scout for the Charlotte Hornets and currently for the Washington Wizards. In this conversation, Evan Burk speaks with Dickey about the winning culture on the Chicago Bulls under Phil Jackson, how his daily approach earned

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41:45

Evan Burk Keynote on The NFL Approach to Building...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2021/12/03

This special edition episode of The Highest Level features a keynote speech I delivered recently at a national leadership conference entitled "The NFL Approach to Building Winning Teams". This speech was the closing keynote at the American Society of Crime Lab Directors national leadership symposium on August 26, 2021 to an audience of leaders and directors in the forensic science community. In this keynote, I break down the realities of building teams in highly competitive environments and share

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44:20

Cody Royle on Managing the Tough Stuff

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2021/11/19

Cody Royle is an author, speaker, podcast host and football coach. He served as the head coach of AFL Team Canada, the men's national program for Australian Rules football, and author of the books "The Tough Stuff" and "Where Others Won't" In this conversation, Evan Burk speaks with Cody about his work as a coach for head coach's, developing traits on high performing teams, and his podcast and books on people and leadership strategies. -- Get Evan’s book, Finding Intangibles, to learn about how

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43:19

Coach Mark Richt on Bobby Bowden, Recruiting Deion...

The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk ·

2021/11/12

Coach Mark Richt served as the head football coach for the University of Georgia and the University of Miami, as well as a longtime assistant coach for the Florida State University Seminoles under his mentor, Bobby Bowden where he was part of 2 National Championship teams. In this conversation, Evan Burk speaks with Coach Richt about learning under Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden, impactful relationships with players built on discipline and compassion, and a coach's responsibility to set the

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59 results

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