Overcoming The Top-10 Mental Obstacles In Sport - https://go.sportmind.io/Mastery
The SportMind Portal - https://go.sportmind.io/Portal
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Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Welcome to the next episode of the podcast series. Today, I’m joined by Evan Burk—author, speaker, podcast host, and former NFL coach.
Evan’s journey into the NFL is anything but typical. He never played beyond high school, had no family connections in the game, and yet in just six years went from coaching 4th graders to the sidelines with the Miami Dolphins, and later at UCLA and SMU. His story is living proof that intangibles—work ethic, emotional intelligence, persistence—often matter more than pedigree or raw talent.
In this conversation, we dig into those intangibles and the culture that makes or breaks great teams. Evan explains why culture always outlasts talent, how to set standards that everyone actually buys into, and the tough calls leaders need to make when egos clash with values. We talk about his book Finding Intangibles, and explore how the very best leaders—whether in sport or business—evaluate hidden traits like resilience, adaptability, and coachability.
It’s not all theory either. Evan shares practical tools, including how he used journaling to reframe setbacks and shape his self-talk, why small daily commitments are the foundation of excellence, and how to avoid slipping into toxic positivity by surrounding yourself with people who tell you the truth, not just what you want to hear.
If you’re curious about leadership, culture, and what separates a good team from a championship one, you’re going to get a lot from this episode. All the links to Evan’s work, his book, and his podcast The Highest Level are in the show notes. For now, let’s dive in—here’s my conversation with Evan Burk.
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