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The Athletics of Business

The Athletics of Business

By: Ed Molitor
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Our Athletics of Business podcast provides leaders with invaluable practical lessons framed by the competitive nature of sport and life. Here we share a mindset built on the foundational belief that the skills and behaviors of high-performing teams, elite athletes, and high-impact coaches are also the key to your business success. This perspective is a direct result of Ed Molitor's experiences—as both a college athlete and a coach—that helped shape his core values: work ethic, positivity, enthusiasm, passion for life, loyalty, and commitment to relentlessly pursuing excellence. Basketball Personal Development Personal Success
Episodes
  • Soccer Meets America: Leadership, Culture, and the Stories That Shape Us with Phil Wall

    Soccer Meets America: Leadership, Culture, and the Stories That Shape Us with Phil Wall
    Jun 24 2026
    What happens when a sport's history is bigger, deeper, and more culturally revealing than the story most people have been told? Soccer has always been part of the American sports landscape. Union soldiers played it during the Civil War. Crowds of 46,000 showed up for soccer in New York in the 1920s. Pelé brought nearly 200 journalists with him when he played for the New York Cosmos. But the real story is not just about soccer. It is about how culture is built, how momentum grows, how narratives take shape, and how the stories we choose to tell can either limit what people see or expand what they believe is possible. In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor welcomes back filmmaker Phil Wall to talk about his latest project, the three-part Roku docuseries Soccer Meets America. What started as a project without a personal hook became a discovery process. Phil uncovered a rich and surprising history of soccer in the United States while exploring a bigger question: what happens when we stop asking whether something matters and start looking at the impact it has already made? He also opens up about the leadership lessons behind the camera: directing a larger production team, learning to delegate, admitting what he did not know, and trusting others to help bring the vision to life. The conversation then moves into one of Phil's greatest strengths: storytelling. He shares why the best stories are not about the teller, but the audience. For leaders, coaches, and business professionals, that is where the real lesson lives. This is a conversation about culture, leadership, humility, and the power of stories to shape how people see themselves, their teams, and what is possible next. OUR GUEST Phil Wall is an award-winning writer, director, and showrunner working across features, series, and commercials. His work is rooted in nonfiction storytelling, with an interest in character-driven stories across scripted, documentary, and hybrid forms. He is the showrunner, director, and writer of Soccer Meets America, a three-part docuseries produced with Vox Creative in association with Verizon and now streaming on The Roku Channel. His feature documentaries include The Book Keepers, winner of both the Jury Prize and Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Austin Film Festival, and The Standard, which debuted at #4 on the iTunes documentary chart. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: How Phil Wall uncovered the deeper story behind Soccer Meets America Why soccer's roots in America go far beyond the 1994 World Cup How the 1994 World Cup helped shape the future of professional soccer in the U.S. Why St. Louis became a powerful example of how local culture is built How media, technology, and pop culture helped bring soccer into the mainstream Why Phil believed soccer's place in America no longer needed to be defended How the next wave of U.S. soccer challenges us to rethink what success really means What leading a larger creative team taught Phil about delegation, trust, and clarity Why admitting what you don't know can build stronger trust as a leader How great storytelling starts with the audience, not the storyteller RESOURCES & LINKS Phil Wall Website: philwall.film Watch Soccer Meets America - Available now on the Roku Series GORUCK: www.goruck.com Episodes 135 and 136 - Phil Wall's earlier appearance on The Athletics of Business Ed Molitor LinkedIn - Ed Molitor Website - coeffex.com YouTube Channel - The Athletics of Business References The Two Escobars - ESPN 30 for 30 documentary (written by Nick Sprague) The Book Keepers - Phil Wall's documentary following his father after his mother's death The Standard - Phil Wall's previous project The FIFA+ app - Where to find classic World Cup documentaries Telstar - The first international transatlantic broadcast satellite (1962 Timestamps [00:00] Dynamic intro [01:28] Welcoming Phil Wall back to the podcast [02:13] The origin story behind Soccer Meets America [03:26] How personal relationships helped launch the project [05:11] Discovering the forgotten history of soccer in America [06:19] The World Cup bid that changed everything [07:19] St. Louis and America's early soccer culture [10:23] Soccer's rise, disappearance, and reemergence in American media [14:31] Commercialization, broadcasting, and soccer's unique challenges [16:23] The business side of building professional soccer [17:52] Technology, television, and the growth of the sport [19:43] The untold story of women's soccer in America [21:20] The future of soccer heading into the 2026 World Cup [31:23] Why soccer no longer needs validation [33:27] How this project stretched Phil as a filmmaker [35:37] Learning to lead and collaborate on a larger team [38:24] Where to watch Soccer Meets America [39:21] The fundamentals of great storytelling [45:55] Final reflections and closing thoughts
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    46 mins
  • Yes Your Way to Success: What Endurance Teaches Us About Leadership with Gavin Mlinar

    Yes Your Way to Success: What Endurance Teaches Us About Leadership with Gavin Mlinar
    Jun 17 2026
    Most people spend their lives trying to avoid failure. Gavin Mlinar has built his life around walking straight into it. From leaving home to pursue freestyle skiing as a teenager, to returning after multiple knee injuries to earn a starting role on the football field, to walking away from a successful executive career without a clear plan for what came next, Gavin has repeatedly chosen uncertainty over comfort. And more often than not, those decisions began with a simple phrase: "Yes, I'll figure it out." In this episode of The Athletics of Business Podcast, Ed Molitor is joined by Gavin Mlinar, a former Wall Street equity research founder, VP at a Japanese company, and two-time finisher of the 29,029 Everesting challenge. Together, they explore the surprising connections between endurance athletics, leadership, and the art of saying "yes" before you figure it out. Gavin shares his journey from Division III football and the USA Junior Olympic ski team to corporate leadership, startup life, and the humbling world of 36-hour vertical climbing challenges. He opens up about fainting before lunch on his first attempt, ignoring his coaches for 20 weeks, and finally finishing under the worst weather conditions in event history. But the real throughline? A philosophy he learned from his father, a 747 pilot who treated everyone like they were in his home: lead with help, and let the rewards take care of themselves. Because success isn't about controlling outcomes. It's about enjoying the process, embracing toddler logic, and showing up for others without expecting anything in return. OUR GUEST Gavin Mlinar is the CEO and Founding Member of Blacklisted Consulting, a sourcing and procurement consulting firm that helps organizations save money while optimizing the way they buy goods and services. A former Wall Street Equity Analyst and Investment Banker, Gavin has leveraged his negotiating and communication skills, industry expertise, and passion for problem-solving into a successful career in sourcing, procurement, and supply chain leadership. Throughout his career, he has negotiated large, complex, multi-million and multi-billion-dollar agreements with many of the world's leading IT, Professional Services, and Corporate Services suppliers, helping organizations drive efficiency, accelerate growth, and achieve significant cost savings. But Gavin's journey has been guided by a philosophy that extends far beyond business: say YES, then figure it out. That mindset has shaped everything from earning a starting spot on his high school varsity football team without a reputation, to competing on the USA Junior Olympic skiing team, to launching multiple businesses and leading teams through change and uncertainty. A husband of 19 years, proud father of two, and lifelong believer in growth over comfort, Gavin brings a practical, relatable perspective to leadership and performance. One of his proudest accomplishments was completing the 29029 Everesting Challenge on his third attempt after failing twice—a powerful reminder that failure is only final when you stop showing up. Whether negotiating billion-dollar contracts, leading organizations through transformation, or speaking to audiences about leadership and resilience, Gavin's message remains consistent: success is rarely about having all the answers. It's about having the courage to take the next step, learn along the way, and keep moving forward. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: Why failure is often learning in disguise Lessons from elite athletics that translate directly into leadership and business How endurance challenges reveal strengths and blind spots under pressure The importance of listening beyond simply hearing words How feedback loops accelerate growth and performance Why preparation matters more than motivation during difficult challenges How leaders learn to embrace diverse perspectives and different motivations What toddler logic teaches us about learning, resilience, and persistence Why relationships create opportunities that strategy alone cannot How serving others first can become a powerful business advantage RESOURCES & LINKS Gavin Mlinar Website - http://yesyourway.com LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-mlinar-2295b83/ Blog: https://yesyourway.com/blogs/one-more-ascent Book: https://www.amazon.com/Yes-Your-Way-Success-Dont/dp/B0FC5M9GHQ Ed Molitor LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/themolitorgroup/ Website - https://coeffex.com/podcast YouTube Channel - The Athletics of Business - https://www.youtube.com/@theathleticsofbusiness Timestamps [00:00] Dynamic intro [01:35] Meet Gavin Mlinar [02:35] Building businesses and embracing entrepreneurship from an early age [04:00] Learning communication through cold-calling and rejection [05:07] From freestyle skiing to collegiate football [09:48] Choosing between athletic dreams and practical realities [12:52] The "Say Yes and Figure It Out" ...
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    51 mins
  • Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader with John O'Sullivan and Dr. Jerry Lynch

    Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader with John O'Sullivan and Dr. Jerry Lynch
    Jun 10 2026
    What if the best captain on your team is not the loudest, most talented, or most popular player? For John O'Sullivan and Dr. Jerry Lynch, true captaincy is not about status. It is about skill, choice, relationships, and the daily behaviors that help a team become more connected, accountable, and resilient. In this episode of The Athletics of Business, Ed Molitor is joined by John and Jerry to discuss their new book, Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Leader. Together, they unpack why leadership in sports is often misunderstood, why teams should stop automatically handing captaincy to the best player, and why every athlete has the ability to develop leadership from the inside out. John and Jerry explore what great captains actually do: they build trust, model the standard, serve their teammates, communicate with courage, and protect the culture when things get hard. They also explain why influence is relational, not positional, and why the most effective leaders are often the ones willing to do the unseen work. From self-awareness and servant leadership to tough conversations, kindness, accountability, and gratitude, this conversation is a powerful reminder that leadership is not something you wait to be given. It is something you choose to practice every day. OUR GUESTS John O' Sullivan John O'Sullivan is an internationally known TEDx Speaker and the founder of the Changing the Game Project, which he started in 2012. He is the author of two #1 Bestselling books, Changing the Game and Every Moment Matters, and a leading youth sports blogger, while being a host of the Way of Champions Podcast, one of the top-rated podcasts in the world for coaches. Former collegiate and professional soccer player, and has coached for over 20 years on the youth, high school, and college levels. He has consulted with US Olympic Committee, US Soccer, USA Football, US Lacrosse, USA Swimming, Ireland Rugby, Aussie Rules Football, and many more John is on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance and the National Association for Physical Literacy. Dr. Jerry Lynch Jerry first learned about extraordinary performance and excellence as a nationally ranked competitive athlete sponsored by Nike, running world-class times from 5,000 meters to the marathon, setting an American record in the half-marathon, winning a National Championship, and many other races against athletes half his age. He took what he learned about himself and life from his competitive days and parlayed it into a dynamic, successful career helping athletes and coaches in all sports to use his performance and leadership strategies to up their game and discover the best version of themselves. Dr. Lynch has been recognized as one of the top five in his profession nationwide. He has worked with teams, coaches, and athletes in the NBA, Pro Lacrosse, Major League Soccer, with men's and women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, golf, and other sports at the universities of North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, California, Syracuse, Stanford, Harvard, and Middlebury. Dr. Lynch is the author of 18 books in over 10 languages and the founder and director of WAY OF CHAMPIONS, a human potential and performance consulting group helping others master the deeper inner game for sports, business, and life. Jerry is a dynamic, entertaining, inspirational, provocative, and humorous teacher and speaker with topics on leadership, coaching, team culture building, winning the relationship game, and core value development. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: Why captaincy is a skill that can be taught, practiced, and developed. Why the best player is not always the best leader on the team. How coaches and teammates can identify real leaders through behaviors, traits, and trust. Why influence comes from relationships, not titles or positional power. How captains serve as the bridge between coaches, teammates, and the team culture. Why great leaders must learn to have hard conversations with courage and respect. The difference between being liked, being respected, being nice, and being kind. Why self-awareness is the foundation of exceptional leadership. How elite athletes like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant modeled servant leadership. Why gratitude, joy, and service can elevate both leadership and performance. RESOURCES & LINKS John O' Sullivan & Dr. Jerry Lynch Website: https://changingthegameproject.com/ Website: www.wayofchampions.com Get the Book: Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader Way of Champions Podcast on Apple Podcast Jerry's LinkedIn Jhon's LinkedIn Ed Molitor LinkedIn: Ed Molitor Website: CoEffex YouTube Channel: The Athletics of Business TIMESTAMPS ● 00:01:07 Why winning takes more than talent ● 00:02:00 Introducing Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Leader ● 00:03:10 Why teams often choose captains for the wrong reasons ● 00:05:24 ...
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    49 mins
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