What do NIL deals, career centers, and AI mentors have in common?

They all show up in this week’s Leadership Rules conversation with Don Philabaum—a serial entrepreneur, innovator, and author who’s been preparing students and leaders for “what’s next” long before most people saw it coming.

Don joins Nick and Marnie to explore how curiosity, adaptability, and human connection still beat out chaos and tech hype every time.

In this episode, Don shares:

🔗 Why human connection is the one competitive advantage AI can’t replicate
🎓 What career centers must do now to stay relevant
🤖 Why Gen Z understands AI better than most professionals
⚽ What the NIL era can teach all of us about career development
🧠 And why people do business with people—even in the age of bots

Plus:

• What it's like to launch virtual career coaches before ChatGPT was cool
• How to rewire fear of change into fuel for leadership
• And what student athletes and CEOs both need from their mentors

📍 Learn more about Don Philabaum:
🌐 Athlete Career Training
🌐 Talk to Me 24x7

What do school safety, confidence in chaos, and sneaking into a Michael Jackson concert have in common?

All of them show up in this week’s Leadership Rules episode with Dr. Roderick “Rocky” Sams—a passionate educator and school safety leader who believes preparation isn’t just a strategy. It’s a mindset.

Rocky joins Nick and Marnie to talk about how leading well starts with knowing yourself, investing in what matters, and showing up ready—even when the opportunity hasn’t arrived yet.

In this episode, Rocky shares:

🔐 The critical link between psychological safety and physical safety
🧠 How clarity, calm, and curiosity build real leadership presence
📚 Why he believes personalized learning is more possible now than ever
🏖️ How scheduling monthly “timeouts” with his wife helps him lead better
🔘 What Centegix is doing to transform school safety with one simple button

Plus:

• The one question every leader should ask before speaking
• Why struggle is often the best teacher
• The story of a young Rocky Sams sneaking into a stadium for a life-changing concert

👀 Bonus: Rocky’s message to educators about finding joy again—even in the chaos.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

📍 Connect with Dr. Roderick Sams:
🔗 LinkedIn

📧 rsams@centegix.com

What do undefeated teams, AV carts, and prosthetic legs have in common?

They all show up in this week’s conversation with educator and coach Rob Elia—and every story points to the same truth:

🏆 Leadership isn’t about winning. It’s about trust.

In this episode, Rob joins Nick and Marnie to talk about:

🎾 Coaching through culture, not just competition

🧠 Why confidence is a performance multiplier

🛠️ How to build trust that actually sticks

📉 Why you shouldn’t rescue people too soon

👟 And the real reason some losses matter more than wins

Plus:

• How to lead when your kid isn’t the starter
• Why culture doesn’t start with hype, but with habits
• The moment one player’s return from cancer taught the entire team what leadership really means

👀 Bonus: Rob explains why his undefeated record matters way less than the way his team practiced every day to earn it.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

📍 Find Rob Elia:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertvelia/

Check out the podcast Rob hosts: Leader’s Edge Podcast in association with the New Jersey Association of Educational Leaders

How do you go from wallflower to world-class connector?

Jason Croft didn’t just figure it out—he reverse-engineered the process.

In this episode, Jason joins Nick and Marnie to talk about leadership, networking (especially for introverts), and how to build “market gravity”—the pull that makes you the inevitable choice for the people you want to serve.

Jason is the host of Strategy + Action, a brand and storytelling strategist, and the guy who once read The Tipping Point and decided—on the spot—to become a connector. A year later? People were calling him for introductions.

In this conversation, Jason shares:

🧲 Why visibility isn’t enough—you need gravity

🎯 What most people get wrong about standing out

🛠️ How to build confidence through evidence

🎤 Why podcasting might be the best networking tool on earth

🙋‍♂️ And the one leadership rule that changed everything: Lead yourself first.

Plus:

• What to say when you're stuck at a networking event (and don’t know a soul)
• Why introverts make the best interviewers
• The truth about “accidental leaders”—and how to know if you are one

👀 Bonus: Jason reveals the bold decision that transformed his career—and how you can do the same (without faking a personality transplant).

🎧 Listen to the episode now.

📍 Find Jason Croft:

https://thejasoncroft.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncroft/

What do Sour Patch Kids, Target run-ins, and dinner-table confessions have to do with leadership?
According to Derrick Kinney—everything.

In this episode, Derrick joins Nick and Marnie to talk about raising confident, character-driven leaders (especially teens), building trust through imperfection, and why financial education is really just leadership training in disguise.

Derrick is the founder of the Good Money Framework, the creator of Simple Teen Success, and the kind of guy who listens to audiobooks at 1.75x speed and rips out the pages he’s actually going to implement. (Yes, really.)

In this conversation, Derrick shares:

🧠 Why kids don’t want lectures—they want lessons (and candy)
🧃 The magic of a Target encounter done right
🧍‍♂️ How to teach influence through confidence, not charisma
💸 Why bad money beliefs start early—and how to break them
🎯 And the rule every leader should live by: Own your mistakes. Own them fast.

Plus:

• How to teach teens to talk to adults (without hiding in the chip aisle)
• The “Highs and Lows” dinner game that turned parenting into mentorship
• Why leaders should feel worse about a mistake than their clients do

🎓 Want your teen to level up?
Check out Derrick’s course: Simple Teen Success

📍 Find Derrick Kinney:
https://www.instagram.com/derrickkinney/
https://www.simpleteensuccess.com/

Think presence is just for the boardroom? Think again.

Lorraine K. Lee—LinkedIn Top Voice, bestselling author, and introvert turned international speaker—joins Nick and Marnie to rewrite the rules on what it really takes to be seen, heard, and remembered at work.

In this episode, Lorraine shares:

🧠 Why you already have a personal brand—and what happens when you don’t shape it

📚 Her EPIC Framework for career branding:

Experiences

Personality

Identity

Community

📈 Why hard work alone won’t get you promoted (and what will)

🎥 How to master the Zoom room using her signature T-Method:

Technology

Energy

Aesthetics

💬 And why introverts aren’t just invited to the leadership table—they belong at the head of it

Plus:

• The most overlooked secret to getting promoted (spoiler: tell your manager you want to be)
• Why video presence still matters—and how to stop looking like a witness in the WFH crime scene
• How to beat imposter syndrome with a journalist’s mindset and a CEO’s ownership

👀 Bonus: Lorraine offers live video coaching to Nick and Marnie… and let’s just say, they’ve got homework.

📖 Get her book, Unforgettable Presence, anywhere books are sold.

📍 Find Lorraine K. Lee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorraineklee/

www.lorraineklee.com

🎙️ “Lead Loud, Listen Louder – With Scott Nunes”

In this episode of Leadership Rules, Scott Nunes drops wisdom on leading with heart, practicing humility, and why every leader needs a dash of Sigma energy.

🚀 Key takeaways:

• Why leadership isn’t a title—it’s a daily practice
• Balancing structure and creativity (hello sticky notes & Sigma moves)
• Letting silence create space for others to lead
• Using tech to amplify your humanity, not replace it
• Humility as the ultimate leadership flex

Scott reminds us: Serve like a teacher, listen like a counselor, and lead like a human.

📍 Connect with Scott Nunes:

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

@MrNunesTeach across socials

🔗 Get all the show notes and extras: [Insert link]

🎙️ Episode Title: “Product Thinking for Life & Leadership – With Tami Reiss”

✂️ Summary:

Ever wonder how to influence without authority, scale your own career like a product, and still have time to build Lego bonsai trees? Meet Tami Reiss—executive coach, product thinker, and author of the cutest children's book ever written about what product managers actually do (yes, really).

In this episode, Tami joins Marnie and Nick to share:

🧠 How to lead with vision, influence, and joy—even if you're not the boss

📚 Why your career needs a pitch, not just a résumé

🪜 Her signature LEAD Framework:

• Look & Leap
• Excite & Empower
• Align & Activate
• Decide & Deputize

💥 And why “you can’t do it alone” might be the realest leadership rule of all

Plus:

• Turning bedtime stories into boardroom breakthroughs
• How to explain product management to your parents and your preschooler
• The difference between delegation and deputizing (hint: it’s about trust)

👀 Bonus: Tami shares how to treat yourself like the product—and your pitch like your North Star.

📍 Find Tami Reiss:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamireiss/

LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram — just don’t spell her name with two M’s, or you’ll get the WNBA coach (great hair, wrong Tami 😉)

🔗 Show notes and links to her book, blog, and brilliant insights: [insert link here]