Suiting Up With Paul Rabil

When I concepted and launched the podcast, I knew it would be fun to engage with my professional peers, but underestimated the value I would receive from sitting back and listening to their expertise and tips. Every guest I've hosted is a world-class high performer. She or he is mechanical, methodical, thoughtful, has high emotional intelligence, and shows incredible leadership traits. That said, I've found the common denominator and shared characteristic of all -- is hard work. Top athletes, entertainers, and entrepreneurs know how to work really hard.  In Part 1 of my 3-Part Suiting Up Podcast Musings, I'm going to highlight 5 guests from 2017's class of interviewees, telling you my bottom line to their best sound bites on high performance. You'll hear from: 1. Scott Galloway on Building a Career 2. DeMaurice Smith on Task and Calendar Management 3. Venus Williams on the Importance of Nutrition 4. Lyle Thompson on Training Tips 5. Gary Vaynerchuk on Fighting Unfairly  Enjoy the show. And next

When Ryan Holiday was 19 years old, he dropped out of college to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power. Next, he went on to become the director of marketing for American Apparel (where you might have seen some of the controversial campaigns he produced). Holiday then opened his own creative agency, called Brass Check, where he’s advised clients like Google and Complex, as well as prominent bestselling authors like Neil Strauss, Tony Robbins, James Altucher and Tim Ferriss (he was also Tim’s 4th ever podcast guest). Holiday's the author of six bestselling books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic and Perennial Seller.  The Obstacle Is the Way has been translated into more than twenty languages and has developed a loyal following among NFL coaches like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, world-class athletes, TV personalities, political leaders, and many more. Holiday and I sat together in our NYC recording studios to discuss life, business, sports, an

“Successful people are really stubborn. They won’t take no for an answer. They keep going, and going, and going.” Want to know the science -- check that, odds -- around Ben Roethlisberger's pass that landed in the hands of Santonio Holmes with only seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII? How about the torque and bend that occurs after Alex Ovechkin hits a slap shot? Sports Science will tell you why after making contact with the ball, Giancarlo Stanton’s follow through doesn’t actually matter. I always wanted to know what it felt like to get tackled by Ray Lewis. Sports Science has it covered. John Brenkus is a producer, director, and television personality. He co-founded BASE productions, which specializes in creating television programming for channels such as ESPN, National Geographic, and Spike TV. He’s the creator of Sports Science, and currently hosts his own podcast, The Brink of Midnight. Here’s more about my fascinating friend. He attended UVA and created his own major, Film Rhetoric Communication Studie

“Skating is about putting all of your energy into something that keeps you creative.” This week’s guest is one of the world's top skateboarders, industry entrepreneur, and social media influencer.  Torey Pudwill began skating in California when he was 4 years old. At 14, he edited his first video series, "How To Go Pro", and began his trek to stardom. Since then, he's filmed 10 video parts, amassed dozens of sponsors, won X-Games medals and Street League competitions.   In 2011, Pudwill won Street Skater of the Year. Professional skateboarder and entrepreneur Jeron Wilson said, "I don't think you can say anything bad about Torey. He's one of those guys that's just one of the greatest skateboarders." On the show, Pudwill and I discuss the world of skateboarding, competitions, preparation, and more. At the start of the show, Pudwill discloses, for the first time publicly, that he has narcolepsy.  I’m your host Paul Rabil and welcome to Suiting Up Podcast, a show where I delve into the stories of some of to

“Storytelling is at the core of human connection.”  I’ve been working closely with Samir Chaudry and Colin Rosenblum for the better part of the last 5 years. Together, we created my youtube channel, worked through internal company marketing campaigns, ideated on new projects, and consulted on a number of others. They’re writers, directors, producers, onscreen talent, and entrepreneurs. I’m lucky to have met two guys with vast ingenuity, creativity, and work ethic.  On the first half of the episode, we talk about their respective backgrounds in sports, growing up on opposite coasts, and how filmmaking unexpectedly connected them. In the back half of the show, we delve into content development, advice for creators, which platforms you should be targeting, and why audience definition is the most important piece. In today's world, your ability to sell a person, company, product or service relies on your ability to sell. To sell, you need to market. To share. To tell. This requires a strategy, or in some cases

“The first thing I learned from my mom, and applied it to lacrosse…was passion. And I think passion is what leads to happiness.” Lyle Thompson is the all-time leading point scorer in NCAA Division 1 lacrosse history, a Tewaaraton trophy winner (our sport’s Heisman award), a pro lacrosse MVP, and NLL Champion. His legacy of success on the field will live on for generations to come. He grew up in the Onondaga Nation in New York, and was one of five children of Doloris and Jerome Thompson. Today, he and his brothers represent some of the best talent in the professional game, competing in both MLL and NLL, building large digital and social media audiences, and are bringing powerful, cultural awareness of their Native American roots to our sport. Lyle began playing lacrosse at a very early age, and on the show, we discuss how lacrosse carries spiritual and cultural experiences with the Onondaga and Native American communities. He recounts his early years playing in the backyard with his older brothers, accompa

"This is why, how, or what I need to do to be successful, and personally why I relate a lot of business back to the nuances of professional football." This week's Suiting Up Podcast guest is a former NFL linebacker who played 11 seasons professionally, making 2 Super Bowl appearances, college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning a National Championship, and earned All-Big 10 honors for 3 straight seasons. He's a stud.  In addition to his football career, Dhani's had a massively successful television career, which he's supplemented with a career operating companies (he's owned and operated a coffee shop, ad agency, and staffing business), and more recently, investing in them. One of my all-time favorite Dhani shows was his Travel Channel series, "Dhani Tackles the Glove", as well as his VH1 show, "Ton of Cash". Today, Dhani's mirroring the success of "Shark Tank" with his own investor hosting national series hit, "Adventure Capitalists", which is regularly programmed on CNBC. I’m your host Paul Rab

This week’s guest was a tremendous interview! Sam Walker is The Wall Street Journal's deputy editor for enterprise, the unit that oversees the paper's in-depth page-one features and investigative reporting projects. A two-time bestselling author, Walker's latest book, "The Captain Class", set out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: Who are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, and when he was done, trimmed the best of the best down to a list of the sixteen most dominant teams in history.  With the list in hand, Walker became obsessed with another, more complicated question: What did these freak teams have in common? As Walker dug into their stories, a distinct pattern emerged: Each team had the same type of captain — a singular leader with an unconventional skill set who drove it to achieve sustained, historic greatness. So he wrote a book that delivers to us this exact formula. On today's show, we talk

"I knew what we were fighting for was way bigger than us...and transcended our sport." Hilary Knight is the top women's hockey player on the planet. She's a multiple-time Olympian, 7-time gold medal winner of the Ice Hockey World Championships, all-time career point scorer and 2-time National Champion at Wisconsin. She has sponsorship deals with Nike, Red Bull, Visa, GoPro, and more. She's even practiced with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, telling us "cracking a roster spot is next on the list." As impressive as she is on the ice, she's also highly marketable. However, her most impressive quality is her cumulating approach to impacting women's sports and giving back to the next generation of female athletes. In 2016, Knight and her teammates protested USA Hockey, demanding an equal compensation, accommodation, and marketing allocation to their male counterparts. They threatened to hold out of the 2016 Ice Hockey World Championships and the subsequent Olympic Games if they weren't treated equitably. Find out what

Dave Pietramala is widely regarded as the greatest defenseman in lacrosse history. As a member of the U.S. National Hall of Fame, he’s the only person to have won an NCAA national championship as both a player and coach, and the only person to be named both the NCAA player and coach of the year. Incredible. Pietramala – "Coach Petro" – recruited me to play under him at Johns Hopkins University in 2005, where we competed in three NCAA national championships, and winning two. Coach taught me how to work hard, compete, be humble, and respectful. He always harped on “the little things” – like keeping a clean locker room, hustling in between reps, being the first in line, and making eye contact. Each of these learned tactics translate into professional sports, business, and relationships. On the show, we take a drive down memory lane, revisiting learning moments and major adjustments from my freshman year in college. I was fortunate to step onto the field with one of the best senior classes our sport has ever se

"You have to work your ass off. I don't know anyone very successful who doesn't have some talent -- but that's not the differentiating feature -- it's grit and working your ass off."  I'm often asked who I look up to in sports and business. For the latter, Scott Galloway nears the top of the list. I feel fortunate to have booked him as a guest on our show -- actually, I'm feeling somewhat bewildered, but thankful nonetheless he agreed to a sit-down.  Galloway's a 9-time entrepreneur, he's raised close to one $1 billion in venture capital, private equity, and hedge fund capital, he's the head of marketing at NYU Stern School of Business, a New York Times best-selling author for his new book called, "The Four: The Hidden DNA of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google", he's a YouTuber, and former rower at UCLA.  By accident in 2010, Galloway founded digital intelligence firm L2 Inc., which was acquired in 2017 by Gartner. In 1997, he founded Red Envelope, one of the earliest e-commerce sites, and in 1992, Gallowa

Zach Leonsis is the Vice President and General Manager of Monumental Sports Network (MSN), a first-of-its-kind regional network for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. MSN is co-owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and NBC Sports Group. MSE was founded and chaired by Zach’s father, Ted Leonsis. Ted’s a co-founder of AOL and one of the most decorated and sophisticated sports and tech operators and investors on the planet. The Leonsis’ own the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena, two Arena Football League teams, and controlling interest in Team Liquid – one of the most successful Esports franchises in the world. Also, they're founding members in one of the more successful private equity and venture capital groups in the US, called Revolution Growth Fund. I traveled down to DC to sit in Zach’s office and talk shop. We cover everything from team operations, to new media in sports, NBA free agency, defining Esports, and Ted's purchase of the Wash

"It was the worst decision I made, but the best thing that's ever happened to me." Jason Williams is a former basketball player for the Duke University Blue Devils and Chicago Bulls. After tragically crashing his motorcycle, effectively ending his playing career, Williams transformed his life and is positioned to positively impact sports, business, and social issues more than ever.  While at Duke, Williams was a two-time college basketball Player of the Year, National Champion, and three-year graduate. Moreover, on senior day of his graduating junior year, Duke University retired his jersey. After being drafted to the Chicago Bulls with the second overall pick, things went downhill. Williams was in a devastating motorcycle accident, which led to him spending the next year on a hospital bed. Shortly thereafter, he began his battle with depression, which was compounded by the loss of his grandmother, dog, and a health scare from his mother - Jay's caretaker at the time. Cumulatively, this kicked Williams into

"The reason most entrepreneurs can't beat me is they want to compete with me in math and I beat them in coloring." Gary Vaynerchuk's a serial entrepreneur and investor. He committed to early rounds, investing in Twitter, Uber, Venmo, Tumblr, and more. Gary's the CEO and co-founder of VaynerMedia and Vaynersports; both are agencies that service Fortune 500 companies and world-class athletes around the globe. Gary's rise to prominence began in the late 90’s after building the Wine Library, helping his father grow the family business from $4M to $60MM in sales. Today, he’s one of the most sought after public speakers, an active venture capitalist, and four-time New York Times bestselling author. On this episode we dive into the state of competition in sports, how Gary manages his employees, his latest move to sports agency representation, how he trades on people with energy, what he looks for in entrepreneurs, and his hatred for Michael Jordan. Additionally, Gary gives us two major 2018 predictions for media a

“Winning requires your spirit, mind, body and attitude.” Chile's Francisco "Coco" Zurita is a world-class action sports athlete. Recalling a scene from the 2017 X-Games, Coco is remembered on the vert ramp for a number of reasons: his bike is set up like a modern street rider's machine -- no brakes -- and he blasts some of the highest airs of the entire field while riding the halfpipe like a flowing set of trails. His bike control results in airs that are so stylish, he doesn't need to do tricks to capture attention. Coco told me he wins when he's having fun, saying “often the guys that smile are the ones who win.” Zurita's one of the most talented riders on tour, maintaining this high performance for over a decade. He's 32 and focuses on his training and nutrition, where his focus lies on plyometric workouts and periodical juicing diets. Through different improvement vehicles, Coco's won the BMX world championship, became the first rider in the world to land a triple tail-ship, has competed in more than 11

"The best athletes in the world train for a higher purpose, not for the money." Joe DeFranco is the founder and owner of the world-famous DeFranco’s Gym. For the past two decades, athletes from around the world have hired Joe because of his remarkable ability to improve strength, speed, power, mobility, agility and sport-specific endurance. Joe’s training techniques have been featured in and on ESPN, Spike TV, NFL Network, WWE Network, Men’s Health Magazine, Men’s Fitness Magazine and in the NY Times best-selling book, The 4-Hour Body. His resume includes NFL players from all 32 teams, MLB & NBA players, UFC fighters, Olympic athletes, MLL players, WWE superstars, and college All-Americans.  In 2015, Joe was inducted into the Personal Trainer Hall of Fame (an international organization) in the Trend Setter division. He is recognized as an individual who has had a significant contribution to the personal training industry, specifically by creating trends which have dramatically influenced the world of fit

"People build businesses, not excel spreadsheets." It's my favorite quote coming from this week's multi-talented guest: my older brother, Mike Rabil. There are many layers to how this saying can be interpreted, especially in sports. An easy translation could be "people win championships, not statistics." However, I think unpacking which type of person who wins championships should be our core focus. Mike believes the emotional intelligence of an individual has become the core ingredient to business and sports success.  Mike's senior to me by 23 months. We did everything together growing up, are best friends, and business partners today. We started our professional relationship by opening a franchise gym together in 2008. That gym, called Snap Fitness, turned into a portfolio of 7, followed by the development of our own concept, a hybrid spin, TRX and group training business called TurnStyle Cycle. Along the way, we won and lost, learned valuable lessons, made relationships with new operators and business par

Nikki and Brie Bella are the next Kardashians. They're professional wrestlers in the WWE, massive social media influencers, women’s inclusion and health activists, and co-founders of Birdee Bee, a women's health clothing line. From a stat-staggering standpoint, the Bella's represent the largest aggregate social media following of any female athlete or sister duo in professional sports. Throughout the show, I look to unpack how they’ve built their audience, what platforms they’re investing in, how they curate differently on each, and how Total Divas and Total Bella's on E! Network has impacted their career. When their first WWE tryout didn’t meet their expectations (they weren't given the chance to wrestle), as former college soccer standouts, they plead to executives to give them a chance in the ring. They earned that contract and since their entrance into the WWE, the women’s division has blossomed, with main events at PPV’s, and its own Women's Championship Division. The Bella Twins are gearing up for Sea

He's a motorsports competitor and stunt performer, winning championships and X Games gold medals in major events like supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing. Never a challenge too daring, Travis Pastrana also competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing and the Global RallyCross Championship for Subaru Rally Team USA, where he strung together a number of Top 10 finishes. Pastrana's a household name in sports. He's amassed over 10 million followers across his social media platforms. Yet even more impressive than the wins and social influence, Pastrana co-founded Nitro Circus, which in 2013 merged with the Raine Group, and is considered a billion dollar sports franchise, according to Forbes. Talk about the modern athlete. Pastrana is the best in the world, creates premium content, launched an event circuit, hired employees, raised money, and is now taking his sport to all new heights. In this episode, we’ll talk about “the flow state” of action sports athletes, how t

When he was 9, he set a goal for himself to play in the NFL. He hung up a sign in his room that read, “let no one outwork you today." After 9 successful seasons in the NFL, Isaiah Kacyvenski entered into his second career, entrepreneurship. Isaiah earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and is now the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Sports Innovation Lab. Previously, he was one of the first employees to join early stage startup, Mc10 Inc., a cutting-edge conformal electronics company, as their Global Head of Business Development. He’s an investor in, and advisor to, several companies in technology, sports, biotech, consumer, media and sports medicine. "Working hard, and aligning that work ethic with your passion is an unbelievable thing." Isaiah grew up in poverty. He struggled to find his identity, especially with a volatile parental upbringing. During some of his teen years, he was homeless. An incredible success story, Isaiah’s both a fascinating and inspiring individual. Welcome to Suiting