Launching “The Ready Room Podcast”

Join us in the Ready Room, where “Readiness is a State of Mind” and we journey into what it takes to develop an Elite Mindset.

The "Ready Room" is a term used for the “locker room” in military operations. We invite our listeners to gain access and insights from our community of subject matter experts, innovative companies, community engagement, and compelling conversations with a diverse range of leaders, influencers.

Visit this video by the Premier Lacrosse League that features Erik describing the "ready room" from his time in an elite infantry unit in the Special Operations Forces.

Stay tuned for show links including interviews with:

DR. / MAJOR ALLISON BRAGER

Allison is currently in a NASA astronaut candidate and a neurobiologist with expertise in sleep and circadian rhythms for the United States Army (active duty).

Allison co-authored the first edition of the NCAA student-athlete mental health handbook and the popular science book entitled Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain. Both a researcher and a member of the Army CrossFit Team ("Army Warrior Fitness"), Allison shares her perspective on a wide range of subjects, from managing energy to examples of great leadership under stress. We wish Allison success as she takes command of her next Army unit this summer!

John Walker

JOHN WALKER

Coach for the Chrome Lacrosse Club (PLL), Princeton University, University of Virginia (National Champions), and an All-American lacrosse player for the US Military Academy at West Point.

John shares with us what it is like to cultivate relationships on teams and the importance of demonstrating core values before a crisis hits a person, a team or an organization.

TYLER STEINHARDT

Tyler Steinhardt

Founder of Shootout For Soldiers and former Director of Marketing for the Premier Lacrosse League, Tyler shares stories of how the Shootout was formed, where it's going and what Tyler is interested in for his next phase of life.

This episode took place as Tyler and Veteran Non-Profit "Team RWB" announced the acquisition of Shootout For Soldiers and the return of a Summer 2021 season.

SEAN PERROTTA

Sean Perrotta

Principle at a New York City-area based hedge fund, Sean tells his story of how lacrosse influenced the kind of leader he is today, and what it was like to intern at Cantor Fitzgerald just months before 9/11 happened.

Barstool Sports Campaign

AEP kicked of 2021 with a unique collaboration opportunity to support small businesses impacted by Covid-19. With the goal of surging the momentum toward The Barstool Fund, AEP created a social media fundraising raffle around the donation of a brand new, Sony PS5 game console to Zero Blog Thirty, a top podcast for Barstool Sports.

At the time, the PS5 was near impossible to purchase anywhere or anytime in the foreseeable future. AEP sought to be a force multiplier of donations, attention and awareness to the Barstool Fund beyond what we might be able to accomplish as individual contributors to the fund at this critical time for our nation's small businesses.

Our PS5 campaign led to successful fundraising, bringing more than $18,000 from more than 500 donors across social media platforms, and engaged niche groups in a focused way, from fans in the gaming industry to members and supporters of the military.

All proceeds were donated to The Barstool Fund which provides financial support to Covid-19 impacted businesses.

To date, The Barstool Fund has raised over $39.3M in donations and has supported 348 small businesses in surviving and thriving during Covid-19's restrictions.

Business Edge in Covid

Along with sports teams coping with pressure and uncertainty in 2020 and into 2021, we also saw plenty of businesses making major organizational pivots and enduring “Covid fatigue.” There were impacts from all angles, including industry partners and customers, the pace of the holiday season, frequent changes in rules and mitigating health risks, and postal services issues, among others. Mandates from various levels government were not only a moving target and mixed messages, but also required service-based businesses to shift to a fully remote environment. For businesses which could operate onsite, their operations now required ongoing new investments in equipment and personnel to make the environment safe enough to do business in, especially for employees spending the most time on-location.

AEP Edge: Our business clients were able to find the inspiration and connections on their teams to continue, and used energy management techniques to surge into 2021 with newfound energy. Our clients received our Signature Series, tailored for their company, industry, and staff, and during our team collaboration problem set, one organization began preparing their mindset for a long-term goal of supporting the 2028 Olympics in LA, and another was prepared for an obstacle we had played out that ended up becoming a reality just a few weeks later. Additionally, during the course of our workshops, one client was able to secure and execute the acquisition of a business and AEP incorporated the onboarding of that team into our sessions, which were already focused on activating the culture and empowering leaders at all levels.

Our business clients in the sports industry include:

Epoch Sports // Epoch Lacrosse and Evolution Physical Therapy. Both are challenger brands in their respective fields and approached Covid's obstacles as a time to adapt their business operations, persevere through uncertainty, make critical decisions under pressure and problem solve & innovate as a team. See below for more about both Epoch Lacrosse and Evolution Physical Therapy.

About Epoch Lacrosse is a U.S. design and technology company committed to exclusively creating the highest-performing lacrosse equipment made and manufactured in the U.S. Through its innovation lab in Minneapolis, Epoch Lacrosse incorporates high-tech practices into its production including 3D printing and utilizing carbon fiber. In addition to Epoch Lacrosse’s use of technology, the design of their shafts is leading the lacrosse industry and are growing in popularity among players.

Mission Statement: Epoch Lacrosse seeks to move the game of lacrosse forward using better technology, design, engineering and manufacturing. We strive to grow our business with the same integrity and focus on technology we use to develop products while inspiring our customers.

Vision Statement: Become a market share leader in the sport of lacrosse by introducing performance driven products that utilize forward thinking designs, technology and manufacturing techniques.

Evolution Physical Therapy is a health, wellness and fitness company based out of Los Angeles , CA, United States with 7 locations in Playa Vista, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Costa Mesa and 2 Locations in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States.

Our mission is to help all of our patients and clients perform at their highest potential, to completely redefine the profession of physical therapy and to provide the community with exceptional rehab services, fitness, performance training, injury prevention, wellness and recovery. Our doctors of physical therapy are highly skilled and knowledgeable, utilize modern equipment and techniques and have an unparalleled drive to help you get better.