You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Dallas and Melissa Hartwig tell us good food passes four tests. Here they are.

The Purpose Formula has three parts. How do you fill in the bubbles? Where do your skills and joy meet the world's needs?

Warren Bennis is one of the world's leading authorities on leadership. This is, as Peter Drucker puts it, his "most important book." Big Ideas we explore include the basic ingredients of leadership (#1 = Guiding Vision!), the importance of self-invention (hint: write your own story!), the power of trusting ourselves, choosing to express ourselves rather than prove ourselves, how to cultivate trust, and becoming a world-class leader.

Welcome to OPTIMIZE Airlines. Please fasten your seatbelts and... remember that if cabin pressure changes you need to give yourself oxygen before trying to help others!

Here's the definition of the Common Denominator of Success: Successful people make a habit of doing the things failures don't like to do.

Vice Admiral James Stockdale is an American hero. Stockdale spent nearly eight years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He spent four of those years in solitary confinement and was repeatedly tortured. He was the commanding officer of hundreds of other U.S. soldiers and received the Medal of Honor for his service beyond the call of duty. This is an incredibly inspiring look at the powerful mind and equally powerful moral commitment of a hero. Big Ideas we explore: Being our brother's keeper, chiseling our integrity to achieve delight with life, courage as endurance of the soul and heroes vs. bums.

Pete Carroll and Michael Gervais made mental training as important as the physical training with the Seahawks. One trick? They'd have their players imaging their peak performance. Then think about what gets in the way of that. Then they'd systematically remove those obstacles. <-- Good idea!

Phil Knight created Nike. This book is a *phenomenally* well-written, funny, tear-jerking, inspiring look at how he and his eclectic team of misfit geniuses made Nike one of the most iconic brands in the world. If you're into sports, business and hero's journeys, you'll love it. I highly recommend it. Big Ideas we explore include: Crazy Ideas, victory, billionaires getting their credit cards declined (before they're billionaires), optimal business, gratitude, luck and answering your calling.

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin were two of the most senior (and decorated) SEALS on the ground in the most intense battles of Iraq. In this book they share their leadership lessons on how U.S. Navy SEALs lead and win. It's an intense, impactful read. Big Ideas we explore include a definition of Extreme Ownership, the fact that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders, how to prioritize and execute and remembering that discipline = freedom.

Here's an awesome standard: Outperform your contract. At work. At home. Let's astonish.