Show Notes
On this episode Ted revisits his favorite conversation with Greg Harden. Greg Harden was a legendary motivational figure and peak performance coach, best known for his influential work as an administrator and counselor at the University of Michigan. Often described as a "secret weapon" for elite athletes, he played a pivotal role in the mental development of stars like Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, and Desmond Howard. Through his coaching, Harden specialized in teaching individuals how to master their own emotions and build the mental resilience necessary to succeed both in sports and in life. Greg's book: Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive - is one of the ten reads for Smart Thinkers!
More from The Smart Thinking Podcast
This is an engaging conversation between Ted and Jonathan Reynolds who met in Kansas City after Jonathan had keynoted at the 2026 EOS conference. Jonathan is an enthusiastic leader and a creative problem-solver who has nearly 20 years of experience in recruiting and talent strategy. He is the CEO of Titus Talent Strategies, and he has helped over 1500 organizations build better workforces and cultures. Jonathan is also the author of Right Seats, Right People: A Leader's Guide to Hiring and Developing Top Talent, where he introduced his Head, Heart, Briefcase approach to understanding the whole person when making hiring decisions. He and Ted also share energy and mindset!
Are you coachable? Take a listen as we explore the behaviors of those who are and are not coachable. This episode identifies the four types of people in coaching and shares reflections and actions to make you more coachable and a better coach of others.
Fall is a season of change for many of us smart thinkers and as a result we need to be prepared. How about a sequence of texts to help you be perseverant, learn from mistakes, be more creative when facing constraints, help teams collaborate through it all, be a better writer/communicator and then reflect on how you are doing and who you are! Well, below is a list of texts that Ted is recommending for this fall!
What if we could hear about the future? Well, you can on this episode as Ted discusses how Australian laws around cell phones and social media have positively impacted learning and student wellbeing. Australia is a great study of what “to do” in order to support the growth of young people. Principal Lars Anderson from Thornbury High School near Melbourne, Australia gives us insight into what the positive consequences have been with cell phones bans for the last six years and how the social media prohibitions for children under 16 are impacting children at his school. This is a great conversation about the ways in which technology can be successfully unraveled and how one school has shifted their methods in order to better support students.
Each of us is on an amazing journey each week. Regardless of age, every single one of us collects great moments in our day-to-day. Well, what if we took the time to support ourselves and others so that we could collect and reflect on the greatest moments of our day or support others to think about their day, their week, or their life. Well, now you can through this fun and engaging process that is relevant for everyone at every stage of their life.