Most people wait to feel ready.

Winners dive in—even if it's a belly flop.

In this episode, I sit down with Deborah Gardner, a competitive performance expert who doesn't just teach winning—she's lived it at the highest level.

At 66 years old, Deborah became the oldest woman to swim the 21-mile Catalina Channel, earning a Guinness World Record and proving something most people miss:

👉 Mindset beats circumstance. Every time.

We talk about what it really takes to compete—whether you're on a stage, leading a team, or fighting through uncertainty.

This is about:

• Turning "belly flops" into breakthroughs
• Owning your lane instead of comparing your path
• Why engagement—not likability—is the real standard of leadership
• How to build an unsinkable mindset in pressure moments

Deborah Gardner is a competitive performance expert, global keynote speaker, and six-time bestselling author who challenges leaders to take action—not just take notes.

At 66, she became the oldest woman to conquer the Catalina Channel, earning a Guinness World Record and redefining what's possible at any stage of life.

Her philosophy is simple and powerful:

YOBO — You Only Breathe Once.

She's known for her no-fluff, high-energy delivery and has been called a "pit bull in a skirt" for her relentless focus on driving results.

Deborah is also the author of the upcoming book "Own Your Lane" (2027), where she challenges individuals to stop comparing—and start competing where they are strongest.

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/deborahgardner1
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/DeborahGardner01
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/deborahgardner
• X (Twitter): https://x.com/deborahgardner
  
  

If you're serious about winning—personally or professionally—don't just listen. Execute.

👉 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

👉 More episodes: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

👉 Work directly with Coach Trent: https://www.bloomgrowthcoach.com/coaches/trent-clark/

Winners don't guess their way to success—they execute with intention.

In Part 2 of Winning Ways: How to Win, Coach Trent brings it back to fundamentals:

• Win the day
• Stack the days into weeks
• Stack the weeks into months
• And build a life—and business—that wins consistently

Execution isn't occasional. It's daily.

Most people stay busy. Winners stay focused.

👉 The standard:

• Write down your Top 5 priorities daily
• Execute the Top 3 that move the needle
• Schedule them into your calendar intentionally

Multiply that across a team—and now you're operating at a completely different level.

Consistency compounds into elite performance.

Elite teams are built on a strong foundation:

• Integrity
• Humility

• Stability
• Spiritual alignment (values-driven leadership)
• Quality standards

• Coachability
• Adaptability
• Responsibility
• Dependability

• Accountability
• Communication
• Visibility
• Authenticity

Get this right, and you don't just build a team—you build a winning culture.

If you're stuck, overwhelmed, or your team isn't executing at the level you need—

👉 Book a 15-minute call with Coach Trent

👉 Get clarity. Build alignment. Start winning again.

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

🎧 Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

In this Winning Ways solo episode, host Trent M. Clark breaks down the habits, mindset, and daily disciplines that separate high performers from everyone else.

Drawing from decades in professional sports, entrepreneurship, and leadership coaching, Trent shares lessons learned from championship environments—lessons that apply directly to business, leadership, and life.

From the power of hyper-learning to the reality of the Pain Exchange, this episode challenges listeners to take ownership of their habits, their discipline, and their results.

Because winners don't stumble into success.

They train for it daily.

Ask yourself one simple question:

What is one habit you need to stop doing immediately?

It might be:

• Sleeping in

• Procrastinating

• Poor preparation

• Lack of communication

Remove that one behavior this week.

Small habit changes create massive long-term results.

Trent also highlights the journey of USA Skeleton athlete Andy Whittier, who is pursuing his Olympic dream while serving in the U.S. Army.

Support Andy and learn more about his upcoming book "Life Head First."

• Leading Winning Teams – Trent M. Clark

• Bloom Growth Coaching System

• Andy Whittier Olympic Support Mission

Podcast:
https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/7GAwyvYA7OY1L2JOjegX7D

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/winners-find-a-way/id1578413577

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

Website:
https://Leadershipity.com

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentmclark/

🎁 FREE RESOURCE – Download Trent's Pyramid of Leadershipity here:
https://pyramidofleadershipity.trent-clark.com/pyramid-of-leadershipity

In baseball, you can feel when a team cares.

You walk into the clubhouse…
You watch how players treat the equipment manager…
You see the energy in batting practice.

You know immediately.

The same thing happens in business.

Customers can feel when a company actually gives a damn.

And when they do…
they become your biggest promoters.

In this episode of WINNERS FIND A WAY, Trent Clark sits down with Justin Ricklefs, founder of Guild Collective and author of Give a Damn, to talk about the real competitive advantage in business today: human connection.

Justin shares how brands win when they stop shouting about their products… and start telling stories that connect with people.

This conversation covers:

• Why your brand story matters more than your marketing budget
• The biggest mistake companies make when communicating with customers
• Why Chick-fil-A, Nike, and Apple dominate through emotional connection
• How great leaders build companies that people actually care about
• The power of customer delight in a noisy marketplace

As Justin says:

"Your brand is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room."

Winners Find a Way_ Guest-Justi…

The question every leader should ask is simple:

What story are people telling about your company?

Justin Ricklefs is the Founder and CEO of Guild Collective, a Human-First brand agency helping organizations grow through clarity, connection, and creativity.

Before launching Guild Collective, Justin spent years working in sports organizations including the Kansas City Chiefs, helping build partnerships and revenue through strategic storytelling.

Justin is also the author of Give a Damn: The Catalyst for Caring Companies, a book that challenges businesses to rediscover the power of caring about customers, employees, and community.

He lives in Kansas City with his wife Brooke and their five children.

Justin Ricklefs
Website: https://guildcollective.com
Book: Give a Damn

Connect with Justin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinricklefs/

📺 YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

🎧 Podcast Page
https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

Our friend Andy Whittier is chasing his Olympic dream in Skeleton for the 2026 Winter Olympics — a sport where athletes race head-first down an ice track at nearly 80–90 mph.

Olympic athletes often fund much of this journey themselves.

If you'd like to support Andy and the mission, you can contribute here:

👉 Support the Olympic Journey
https://trent-clark.com/olympic--2026

Baseball is generational.

I grew up listening to Tigers games on the radio. The game meant something. It still does.

So when the Hall of Fame misses on greatness — it matters.

In this episode, I sit down with baseball historian and author David W. Gue to challenge the current voting system and ask a bold question:

Are we honoring excellence… or protecting narratives?

The Barry Bonds Debate

Tommy John & The Forgotten Greats

If a system doesn't reward performance, it loses credibility.

That's true in baseball.

That's true in business.

Leaders fix broken systems.

Winners find a way.

David W. Gue is the author of The Baseball Hall of Fame: A Fan's Statistical Analysis, advocating for a fair, measurable Hall of Fame voting process.

📺 YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

🎙 Podcast:

https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

👉 Learn more about Trent's Bloom Growth coaching framework here:

https://www.bloomgrowthcoach.com/coaches/trent-clark/

Support the Olympic dream:
👉 https://trent-clark.com/olympic--2026

We've built elite athletes.

But are we building strong humans?

In this episode of WINNERS FIND A WAY, I sit down with Gary Thrapp — youth sports advocate, author, and owner of Beyond The Baseline — to talk about where youth sports is headed… and what it's costing us.

This conversation isn't soft.

It's real.

With over 40 years in youth sports, Gary Thrapp has facilitated more than 50,000 games at his facility in Davenport, Iowa

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. He's the owner of Beyond The Baseline, a premier basketball and volleyball event center, and author of The Wild World of Youth Sports.

Gary focuses on:

• Leadership development

• Character formation

• Community engagement

• Creating equitable opportunities for kids

He works on the front lines of youth development every single day

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.

And what he's seeing should get every parent's attention.

The money conversation isn't going away.

But when recruiting replaces development…
When metrics replace fundamentals…
When ego replaces effort…

We have a problem.

We talked about:

• NIL filtering down to youth levels

• The transfer portal mindset

• Winning vs. developing

• Recruiting talent vs. building skill

Gary told a story that hit me hard.

A third grader asked him:

"Why are you making us work while the adults are staring at their phones?"

That's leadership.

From a third grader.

We discussed:

• Attention spans collapsing

• Coaches competing with TikTok

• Parents missing the moments

• The competitive edge of focus

If you want your child to have an advantage?
Put the phone down.

Gary's book Developing Your Success Map centers on one powerful idea:

Ask kids what matters to them.

Not what matters to you.

We talked about:

• Purpose

• Dreams

• Monthly and daily goals

• Asking questions instead of lecturing

You don't build resilience by talking at kids.

You build it by engaging them.

You can recruit talent.

Or you can develop it.

You can chase wins.

Or you can build people.

The scoreboard isn't the ultimate measure.

Character is.

• GaryThrapp.com

• BeyondTheBaseline.net

• The Wild World of Youth Sports (Available on Amazon)

  9a8ef877-a0eb-478f-9c46-23d2842…

• Leading Winning Teams (Trent M. Clark)

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity
🎙 Podcast Page: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

And if you believe in building disciplined, resilient athletes — support the Olympic journey here: 👉 https://trent-clark.com/olympic--2026

If you care about your kids.
If you coach.
If you lead.

This one's for you.

Because winners don't drift.

Winners Find A Way.

Most companies don't have a marketing problem —

they have a response problem.

In this episode of WINNERS FIND A WAY, Trent Clark sits down with direct-response master John Dwyer to unpack why incentives, personalization, and execution still outperform brand-only marketing — and how even small businesses can scale fast without massive budgets.

John Dwyer is a world-renowned direct-response marketer and Founder of The Institute of Wow. His work spans global brands like Disney, McDonald's, Kellogg's, Hilton, and challenger brands that needed fast, measurable growth. He's also known for his legendary campaign that featured Jerry Seinfeld for an Australian financial institution — built not on branding fluff, but bold response-driven strategy.

John's philosophy is simple:

👉 Don't make people fall in love with your brand first —

👉 Get them to experience value, then loyalty follows.

• Why direct response ≠ infomercial marketing
• Disney's "Plus One" philosophy and how it applies to leadership
• How personalization turns customers into advocates
• The psychology behind incentive-based marketing
• Facebook lead contests that generate red-hot, self-qualified leads
• Why most businesses hear great ideas — but never implement them
• The difference between branding spend and measurable ROI
• How Seinfeld said "yes" after relentless (and smart) persistence

• 🌐 https://theinstituteofwow.com
• 🌐 https://leadscontest.com
• John Dwyer media & bio: https://theinstituteofwow.com/media-resources-2/

🎯 If your growth feels stuck, stop guessing and start responding.

▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity

🎧 Listen on the Podcast: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast

Trust is the real currency of leadership—and most leaders are bankrupt.

Gal Borenstein is the Founder of the Borenstein Group and a globally respected voice in branding, digital strategy, and trust-based leadership. A former military journalist, immigrant entrepreneur, and author of multiple books—including Don't Believe the Hype and Beating Goliath with AI—Gal brings uncommon clarity to what really drives growth in a noisy, AI-driven world.

In this conversation, Coach Trent and Gal go deep on:

• Why trust builds brands—not marketing
• How COVID and remote work fractured leadership credibility
• Why AI is a tool, not a replacement for judgment
• How small businesses beat giants by staying nimble
• What leaders must do now to re-earn trust internally and externally

This episode is a masterclass in leadership reality—no hype, no fluff, just truth.

• Don't Believe the Hype – Gal Borenstein
• Beating Goliath with AI – Gal Borenstein
• Activate – Gal Borenstein
• What Really Counts – Gal Borenstein
• The Borenstein Group
• LinkedIn (connect with Gal to receive a free ebook)

If this episode challenged your thinking:

• 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leadershipity
• 🎧 Listen to all episodes: https://podcast.winnersfindaway.us/podcast
• 📞 Book a 15-minute call with Coach Trent and get the Flourish Growth Playbook

Winners don't wait. Winners find a way.