Athlete CEO

Our daily life can often look like trying to drink from the firehose with billions of pieces of information available at our fingertips, notifications from multiple devices, and the ability to join millions of conversations around the world via social media. 

We live in a world that rewards speed – how quick we think, react, and position ourselves, but thinking about more things – trying to speed up – can often lead instead to slowing down

Despite today’s reality seeming like a dream just 20-30 years ago, we can often find ourselves bogged down by this information, and there...

When people hear the term “positive psychology” it can often bring to mind the idea of “always staying positive” or trying to force yourself to never feel anger or pain, but Smaranda Lawrie says that’s B.S.

Smaranda has a PhD in psychology and brain science from UCSB, is the founder of UCSB’s Resilience Summit, currently is an assistant professor at Providence College, and is a key researcher on positive psychology.

As a child, Smaranda’s family were political refugees from Romania who – in fleeing the country – ended up in Hungary hiding in apartments and eve...

As athletes, we’ve all heard some variation of “You’ve just got to have confidence,” as if it’s just a switch you haven’t flipped on yet.

But how? You can’t just create confidence out of thin air.

And what does it look like? Is it simply just going out on the field with the belief that you’ll win? Is it carrying yourself with certain body language? Is it surrounding yourself with people who will tell you you’re great? 

To build confidence, you have to first understand exactly what it is. Only th...

We believe the best investment you can make is in yourself - your human capital. 

Our guest, Fabrice Gautier, has created outsized returns for some of the world’s best athletes like Rudy Gobert, Giancarlo Stanton, Kevin Love, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker, and more, and he has served as the French National Basketball team’s osteopath since 2009.

Described by Kevin Love as “the swiss army knife when it comes to optimizing your health and performance,” Fabrice is a licensed physical therapist and osteopath who has been particularly noteworthy for his approach of viewing an injury not just...

Perfectionism plagues so many high achievers. Perfectionism is not accepting anything short of perfection. 

Is perfectionism good, or is it bad? 

Research by Dr. Joachim Stoeber has shown that individuals who strive for perfection on the athletic field outperform and outclass their peers…until they don't.

The problem therein lies in what happens when you don't reach perfection. It leads to the fear of failure, fear of criticism, stress, depression, and anxiety.

How do you reap the benefits and avoid the pitfalls?

Peak Performance coach Josiah Igono teaches you to l...

Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) is the first step for collegiate athletes to begin getting fairly compensated for their abilities and dedication to their sport. The last two months, we’ve seen headlines of athletes signing deals with national brands, local businesses, and creating their own personal trademarks.

As a collegiate athlete, what are the most important questions and factors you should be considering before stepping into the world of NIL?

Doug Fillis, founder of Accelerate Sports Ventures, an NIL education and consulting firm, joins us to answer important questions the athletes need to know. With Do...

You are your own brand.

Countless times we have all heard this. And now that amateur athletes are able to monetize their Name, Image, & Likeness (NIL) the message is being shouted from the roof top.

Yet, the majority of advice is incomplete and misses the main point. The "brand" is only as valuable as the "business" that is built. Companies and people partner with brands (individual or corporate) because they believe those brands will help them become more valuable.

What is your business and what value do you offer?

On today's...

You’re in a performance competition, on the field or court in the middle of a game, or about to give a big presentation and your brain starts running wild with self-defeating thoughts. 

What do you do?

For some, it can be hard to overcome these negative thoughts and their performance suffers. However, in today’s Athlete CEO: Peak Performance episode, Erik and Josiah discuss another way to combat these thoughts through the concept of thought-stopping.

They discuss what thought-stopping is, why this topic is considered controversial by some experts, and ways to pract...

We have all been there. In high impact situations and high stress situations we forget to breathe.

At the exact moment we need to be at our best, we cut off our brain’s lifeline to function. Shutting down our frontal lobe, which is responsible for high level thought, decision-making, executive functioning, being able to think backwards, think strategically, and being able to innovate. 

“Be in control of your breathing, be in control of your performance.” Dr. Ken Ravizza

The benefits are unmatched when you can really control your breathing:

Be present. Stay in the moment. One pitch/swing/snap at a time. The past is behind you.

Simple concepts. Extremely difficult to execute. Yet, the ones that do separate themselves from the crowd. 

The tool the high performers use to execute: Release Techniques. 

When things starts to bubble up a release technique helps you to reset.

Listen in as Peak Performance Coach, Josiah Igono, PHD breaks down everything you need to know about developing your own release techniques and unlocking your full potential.

We love being a part of a community that is driven to win. A community where each of us are in pursuit of being the best in the world. To be masters of our craft. 

Many begin the journey, but few arrive. It can be lonely, exhausting and filled with dangerous pitfalls that threaten your success.

The biggest threat, your mental health. 

Thankfully, this is not a path you have to travel alone. From Michael Phelps, to Kevin Love and Hayden Hurst we have professional athletes bringing the awareness and resources to the fo...

It’s been estimated that the human mind is capturing anywhere between 10,000-60,000 thoughts per day, and that we scroll somewhere in the range of the Statue of Liberty’s to the Eiffel Tower’s height per day.

We are inundated with information every day – how do you capture what’s most important to unlock your full human capital?

By utilizing one of the most pivotal tools of performance: journaling.

Through the frontal lobe, the brain has a built-in functionality to sift through the proverbial firehose of information we’re consuming throughout our days and mak...

On today’s episode, Phil Wallin, owner & CEO of Diesel Fitness & Health & Recovery shares how the revolution of wearable technology such as the Whoop is fueling performance like never before. 

The world of sports and investing is driven by analytics because the numbers don’t lie. Analytics provide answers to the most important questions: 

Our community is constantly looking for the next edge. Yet, the one thing we have control over is still the most untapped: our human performance. 

For the professional athlete, it is so i...

The difference between a good performance and a great performance is the result of how you show up.

Are you at your absolute best? Have you set yourself up for peak performance?

Very few of the mental skills are designed to help us up-regulate. Most of the skills are focused on slowing down, being present, and calming yourself.

But, what if you could wake yourself up, become hyper-focused, and create an edge at the right moment?

Listen in as Josiah Igono, PHD Performance Psychology unlocks the powerful skill of Arousal Regulation.<...

Your presence is everything – it dictates your performance, how you’re viewed, how other respond to you, and even how you feel about yourself.

Our brains are wired to protect and to predict, so the way we comport ourselves – whether it’s on the mound, in the boardroom, or in daily interactions – makes a difference in how others will respond, think, and feel.

As athletes, the truth is that we want to have a dominant presence on the field. We want to be confident and take up space. We want to be big. This comes from a con...

As an elite performer you’ve worked hard to get where you’re at. The work to stay at the top comes with immense pressure and a grind to continually improve. Also, success can make it hard to get clear, direct feedback, and it can attract people who don’t have your best interests in mind.

How do you continue to reach for greatness without folding to the pressures of perfectionism? How can you work to build an inner circle of people with your best interests in mind – who can give you direct and candid feedback that will hel...

Do You Spend More Time In Reflection or Strategy? | Josiah Igono, Erik Averill | Athlete CEO: Peak Performance

Living in an “always on” and “permanently connected” world, our everyday experience is littered with a proverbial fire hose of information. We can get any question answered in the blink of an eye on Google, learn how to build a house on YouTube, and keep up with the daily activities of our friends and family on apps like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

It can be overwhelming to sort through this information overload to actually learn something, and even...

It’s often said, “it’s lonely at the top.”

As venture capitalists, business executives, and professional athletes at the highest level, there can often be a mentality that you should just focus on performing and avoid feelings of burn out, toxic stress, or loneliness. 

However, we’ve all seen examples of - or felt ourselves - this mentality not being sustainable over the long term.

In this episode of the Athlete CEO, Erik is joined by Andy Maurer, licensed therapist and emotional wellness coach specializing in leadership, trauma and emotional health. Andy utilizes cu...

How can some players overcome mental hurdles and self-doubt to hit that game winning home run, make that difficult catch, or sink the perfect putt? Why do we see so many first-round draft picks ending up a bust? 

At AWM Capital, we believe one of the greatest drivers of your wealth is your human capital and one of the goals of the Athlete CEO podcast is to help you learn new ways of tapping into your full potential. That's why each month we’re joined by Josiah Igono, Ph.D. of Performance Psychology and founder of All Thi...

“2020 was a little crazy.”

That is the understatement of the year.

A global pandemic, volatile markets, athletic seasons paused then modified. Many companies who had set their “20/20 in 2020” vision campaigns ended up having to scrap much of their planning and pivot in what looks to be a new normal moving into 2021.

Yet despite the volatility, AWM Capital, as Managing Partner Brandon Averill puts it, has “grown from an organization to a company.”

In this episode of the Athlete CEO, we get the opportunity to turn the focus around to the two who typicall...

We’ve all been there – taking the field at the big game, stepping into the boardroom for an important meeting, coming home after a long day to rambunctious kids who demand your attention, or heading in for the massive exam.

It can be easy to get overwhelmed and shut down, to lose focus, to have 10,000 thoughts suddenly racing through your head that draw your attention away. 

How do you push past these mental hurdles? How can you be wholly present and focused on your intended results? 

In our Peak Performance episodes, Erik Averill, co-fou...

At AWM Capital, we believe that the greatest driver of your net worth is your human capital. So much hinges on your ability to perform – on the field or in the board room – over the course of your career, so it’s pivotal to continually work on improving your mental and physical game.

When it comes to performance coaching, Josiah Igono is one of the best. Having most recently left his position as Director of Peak Performance for the Texas Rangers to focus on building his own business, All Things Performance, Josiah will be joining us every other...

1:50

GoWild is not just a “Facebook” for Outdoorsman.

“If you post a hunting adventure [on social media], you can get trolled you can get death threats...it’s crazy. We wanted to build something that catered to this audience in ways that social media just didn’t.”

10:00

Moving from the marketing side of business to the founder side can be difficult, what led Brad Luttrell to where he is today?

17:06

Is there anything that Brad can remember from his past that was really helpful to get him to where he...

Athlete CEO Podcast  

Optimizing Your Human Potential

Joe Schmidt Ep. 4

Guest: Joe Schmidt, Former Notre Dame football captain, investor in Excel, a venture capital firm and he now runs strategy, sales and partnerships for Ethos Life.

Twitter @joeschmidtiv  

On the fourth and final part of our interview with Joe Schmidt we discuss how Joe puts his high athletic performance into his real life, the four pillars that Joe has broken his life into, and the greatest advice he’s gotten from a mentor. 

4:02

What cultivated Joe Sch...

Athlete CEO Podcast  

15 Minutes and a Cup of Coffee

Joe Schmidt Ep. 3

Guest: Joe Schmidt, Former Notre Dame football captain, investor in Excel, a venture capital firm and he now runs strategy, sales and partnerships for Ethos Life.

Twitter @joeschmidtiv  

1:47

Brandon Averill on building up your network through Joe Schmidt’s advice by asking for 15 minutes and a cup of coffee. FInd people, meet them and build your network.

2:57

You don’t always know where your next opportunity is going to...

Athlete CEO Podcast  

Venture Capital and the 99.9%

Joe Schmidt Ep. 2

Guest: Joe Schmidt, Former Notre Dame football captain, investor in Excel, a venture capital firm and he now runs strategy, sales and partnerships for Ethos Life.

Twitter @joeschmidtiv  

1:51

Brandon Averill on AWM Capital and how their approach to investment mirrors that of Accel Ventures, which is focused on long time outcomes. The deal flow that pro athletes might see has already been picked over by professional investors.

3:07

Erik Averill on one of the most...

Athlete CEO Podcast  

Skin in the Game 

Guest: Joe Schmidt, Former Notre Dame football captain, investor in Accel, a venture capital firm and he now runs strategy, sales and partnerships for Ethos Life.

Twitter @joeschmidtiv 

2:01

Brandon Averill on Ethos Life disrupting the life insurance model and the need for disruption in the insurance industry.

2:58

Erik Averill on the transition for Joe on moving from being an investor to an operator within a company and how much skin in the game changes the approach.

4:20

AWM Insights Financial and Investment News Podcast

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Athlete CEO with Erik Averill and Brandon Averill

Separators of Success

Guest: Craig Domann

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Website: https://360sportsrep.com/about-360/

Podcast: https://www.promindsetpodcast.com/

3:00

There are seven key ingredients that someone needs to be successful:

6:15

What are good habits, and how does someone modify them if they do not have g...

Investing in Tik Tok US? 

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Investment in Tik Tok US is starting to make headlines; Erik, Brandon and Justin give you The Average Joes vs. Pros on Tik Tok impact in public + private markets.

:40 - 1:16

Apple’s app store charges are back i...

Athlete CEO Podcast  

Ask for 15 Minutes and Coffee

Guest: Joe Schmidt

Twitter @joeschmidtiv  

https://www.ethoslife.com/life/ethos-life-insurance/

1:37

What exactly is Ethos, and what exactly are you doing there?  

Ethos LIfe is a next generation life insurance company that flips the archaic way of buying and selling life insurance on its head. There is a massive coverage gap with people who should have life insurance, but don’t because the process is so archaic. The goal of Ethos is to help an...

Last week, we discussed the Federal Reserve’s recent meetings where they signaled a willingness to allow a rise in inflation over the next 10-20 years. We received a lot of good feedback and follow up questions, and as a result are following up in a part two this week where we can address a few of the implications for investors.

Our managing partner, Brandon Averill, is joined again by our Chief Investment Officer, Justin Dyer to discuss:

• With the Fed signaling that they would likely allow inflation to rise over the next 10-20 years, are...

Athlete CEO Podcast 

Advice All Pro Athletes Need 

Former NFL TE and Super Bowl Champion Zach Miller knows firsthand how unprepared athletes are for money management and even more unprepared to enter the workforce after their playing careers. That’s why he’s decided to pursue wealth management as a career after the NFL. His goal is to help equip athletes with the same knowledge he wished he had when he played. Many in the financial business have given up on pro athletes, that’s why Zach Miller has not.

Guest: Zach Miller

Twi...

You might be familiar with the terms “inflation” and “deflation,” but do you know how they positively and negatively impact us as investors? About 2 weeks ago, the Federal Reserve held a virtual conference where they said they would be willing to let inflation run higher over a certain period of time to make up for lower inflation we’ve experienced in the recent past. So, over the next 10 years they could target a higher inflation rate than has previously been seen.

To understand how this might impact us as investors, Brandon Averill, managing partner of AWM Capital, is joined...

Recent headlines are reporting massive drops in tech industry giants like Apple, which dropped last week by a little over 9% - roughly $150 billion of market value, and Tesla is down again this week after a similar fall last week. Have they reached the bottom? As we have said before – there is no crystal ball to determine that.

However, there are investing concepts that are critical to understand to better weather volatile seasons like 2020 has turned out to be that will help you shore up unnecessary risk and capture the gains you deserve. AWM’s Chief Investment Officer Just...

Athlete CEO Podcast 

How to Coach and How to Be Coached

What makes Derek Jeter who he is? What made him great? Coach Dana Cavalea is the former Director of Strength & Conditioning and Performance for the New York Yankees. He joins Brandon and Erik Averill on Athlete CEO to discuss what goes into a “Championship Mindset” and why mental balance is a key for success regardless of business or profession.

Guest: Dana Cavalea

“Habits of a Champion”

Twitter

https://danacavalea.com/

2:12

Define...

With an estimated $44 billion worth of startups like Snowflake, Unity Software, JFrog, Sumo Logic and Amwell going from private to public right now, is it time to try and strike it rich by investing in the next unicorn company during its initial public investment (IPO) phase? If you only got your investment advice from the mainstream media, you might assume that this is the best way to create massive wealth, but  as you might have guessed, it’s not quite that simple.

The private to public or - IPO - step in the lifecycle of a business is...

Last Tuesday, the S&P 500 hit a record high after a sudden and unprecedented decline in the earlier months of the year. Much of the growth has been attributed to 5 big tech stocks, which we covered on a recent episode. As we’ve seen these 5 big tech stocks diverge, it’s made many investors ask if valuations even matter anymore?

While these companies are enjoying their highest valuations ever, we see examples like Apple where their stock price has roughly tripled since early 2019, but so too has its Price to Earnings (PE) ratio. In this week’s episod...

On this episode of the Athlete CEO, Erik dives into the debt side of Venture Capital with Founder, Operator, & current Chief Investment Officer of Trinity Capital, Kyle Brown.

Trinity Capital provides smart debt for high growth venture-backed startups. Trinity’s portfolio is packed with successful companies including the likes of Impossible Foods, Fingerprint Digital, Birchbox and Untuckit.

In a candid conversation Kyle shares his experiences ranging from nearly losing everything in 2008 to to leading Trinity through a global pandemic. While sharing how his family, faith and athletic background keep him focused on what matters most. 

Are certain presidential candidates better for the stock market? If so, is there a “correct” party to vote for to improve the chances of stronger returns? We often hear political pundits offering advice or predictions around presidential election season, and suggest that the answer to both of these questions is unequivocally “yes.” There are certainly many ways political candidates impact our country, and because of that, it is extremely important we exercise our right to vote. However, as we wade through to the real issues – should a candidate’s impact on the stock market be one of them? 

In this wee...