The High Performance Zone John Foley

Gucci chats with Giovanni ‘The Lion’ Dienstmann about self-discipline, self-mastery,  and creating a fulfilling life. Giovanni is a self-discipline coach and meditation teacher who champions the virtues of determination, integrity, courage, and optimism. He takes a mindful approach to personal development, and his latest book, Mindful Self-Discipline: Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions, helps people fulfill their potential and take control of their lives. 
In this episode, you’ll hear from Giovanni on;

- (00.01:19) The top trait of high performers. Giovanni points out that self-discipline is the trait that all highly successful people have in common. He also refers to the components of awareness and willpower that allow us to identify and live in alignment with our values and aspirations.

- (00:12:29) Empowered peace. Giovanni talks about acquiring mental strength and focus through mindfulness and meditation. 

- (00:26:27) Wise confidence. For Giovanni, confidence is a virtue, and he encourages people to turn self-doubt into self-belief and think positively about their abilities and potential.

-  (00:40:43) Good karma. As a meditation teacher, Giovanni believes in karma, and for him, the best strategy for a happy, regret-free life is to do the right thing and give more than you receive.

- (00:43.34) Mantra meditations. Giovanni explains how to do a simple beginner’s meditation and shares a technique to stimulate the Third Eye and access a state of 

In this episode of the High-Performance Zone Podcast, Gucci’s guest is Dre Baldwin, the founder and CEO of Work On Your Game. Dre was born and raised in Philadelphia, played professional basketball in Lithuania, and transitioned into an entrepreneur and motivational coach who applies the mindset, strategy, and systems he learned from playing pro `basketball into his business coaching career.


Today, you’ll hear from Dre Baldwin on:
 Discipline. For Dre, discipline is what separates success from failure. And as a former professional athlete and an entrepreneur who likes to lead by example, he believes that creating a structure to your day and being willing to show up consistently and do the work will eventually deliver results.

Mindset. Dre explains that mindset is the foundation upon which success is built, and he follows the Be Do Have philosophy, which involves acting as if you have already achieved the outcome you’re striving for. He also encourages people to ask themselves the all-important question, ‘ Who do I need to be as a person?’ before they set their goals.

Building an effective system. We talk about how to consistently and efficiently employ the same techniques in order to start multiplying your results without multiplying your efforts. 

Getting started. Dre recognizes that most people like to stay in their comfort zone and get around to doing things slowly and later rather than fast and now. With this in mind, he stresses the importance of avoiding procrastination and resolving to take swift positive action.

Setting standards. Dre advises listeners looking to improve their performance in life to set non-negotiable standards centered around achieving their goals and commit to achieving them.

Get in touch with Dre:
Text 305.384.6894 for Daily Motivation
Website: Work On Your Game University
Instagram: @drebaldwin
YouTube: Dre Baldwin - Work On Your Game 


Connect with John: 
Sign up for John’s free weekly IMPACT video series
John’s Website 
John’s LinkedIn
John’s Instagram

Russ Holder is a golf professional, a former caddy for Bernhard Langer, and the founder and CEO of Caddy For A Cure. As the son of a pilot and an ardent fan of the Blue Angels, Russ ran the golf tournament for the Blue Angels Foundation for several years. Recently, he created the Inspiring Warriors Golf program, and his mission is to inspire and assist wounded veterans through golf.


In this episode, you’ll hear from Russ Holder on:


(00:13:14) The player-caddy relationship. Russ describes the circumstances that led to him becoming Bernhard Langer’s caddy, and he refers to his role as part psychologist, part weatherman, and part nutritionist. 

(00:22.50) What golf can teach us about life. Russ explains the significance of the golfer’s pre-shot routine and emphasizes the importance of developing an effective daily routine and sticking to it.

 (00:29:57) Creating a winner’s mindset. We discuss how to keep a cool head after playing a bad shot, and Russ shares Tiger Wood’s 10-second rule for addressing anger and frustration before moving on with his game.

(00:42:00) Giving back through golf. Russ talks about his reasons for starting Caddy For A Cure, a charity that raises money and awareness for a rare bone marrow disorder called Fanconi Anemia. He also outlines his exciting vision for his Inspiring Warriors Golf program.

(00:54:19) Taking action. Russ urges listeners to start acting on their ideas and explains how he was inspired by Zig Ziglar, who used to hand out coins inscribed with the words ‘round tuit’ to encourage people to ‘get around to’ whatever they were putting off.

Shelly Lefkoe is the co-founder of the Lefkoe Institute and a world-renowned expert in teaching people how to eliminate their limiting beliefs. Shelly specializes in setting her clients free from the psychological constraints that prevent them from living happier and more authentic lives. In this episode, she takes John through the unique Lefkoe Belief Process and explains how to disrupt destructive thought patterns and create positive change in your life.


 Today, you’ll hear from Shelly on:


(00:14:01) Watering all your plants. She reminds high performers to pay attention to all aspects of their lives (including their families, relationships, and hobbies) and avoid focusing solely on their achievements or careers.

(00:16:34)  Challenging your beliefs. Shelly explains how we can start challenging the common limiting beliefs that we’re not good enough, we don’t matter, and that mistakes and failures are bad. 

(00:25:19) Finding emotional freedom. As someone who has learned to cultivate a healthy sense of self-worth, Shelly describes how our lives can change once we eliminate our limiting beliefs and stop worrying about what others think of us.

(00:40:54) Recognizing how parental expectations can impact your adult life. According to Shelly, we need to examine how childhood experiences of not excelling in school or not living up to parental expectations can affect our confidence as adults and stand in the way of our success. 

(00:54:59)  Learning to stop attaching meaning to meaningless events. John and Shelly talk about learning to detach our emotions from events that have shaped our beliefs and adversely affected our sense of self.

Dr. Christian Conte is a leading emotional and anger management expert who often works with prisoners, prison officers, and high-performance sports teams. Christian is passionate about helping people gain control over their emotions, and his book Walking Through Anger provides valuable strategies for confronting conflict and staying focused and calm in emotionally charged situations.


In this episode, you’ll hear from Christian on:


(00:13:09) Sports psychology. He explains why mastering the art of being present is the pathway to achieving peak performance and shares some tips for eliminating mental clutter and focusing on the task at hand.

(00:21:45) Visualization. As an experienced prison counselor and educator, Christian describes the powerful visualization technique he uses to deal with chaotic and potentially dangerous situations. 
(00:25:02) Zen parenting. We talk about The Four Cs of effective parenting, and Christian reveals how his Thousand Times Rule can help parents be more compassionate, patient, and calm.

(00:38:54) Tonglen Breathing Practice. Christian describes the meditation technique he uses to help heal pain and suffering. Plus, he shares his unique Seven Breaths technique.

(00:50:12) Yield Theory. We discuss Christian’s Yield Theory which involves meeting people where they’re at and listening to, validating, and exploring their options with compassion and creativity.

Jessica Kriegel is a Workplace Culture Expert, the creator of The Culture Equation, and Chief Scientist of Workplace Culture at Culture Partners. Jessica knows that culture drives results, and through her tried and tested tools and strategies, she empowers leaders to improve employee fulfillment and increase performance and profitability. As a culture change specialist, Jessica is a sought-after keynote speaker and the author of Unfairly Labeled: How Your Workplace Can Benefit from Ditching Generational Stereotypes and Proving the Value of Soft Skills: Measuring Impact and Calculating ROI.


In this episode, you’ll hear from Jessica on:


(00:09:20) Love-based leadership. According to Jessica, fear is our worst enemy when it comes to creating a healthy workplace culture. Instead, she advises CEOs to lead from the heart and concentrate on building a sense of loyalty and trust that improves performance and productivity.

(00:21:06) The Culture Equation. Jessica sets out the basis of her Culture Equation model, where purpose and strategy combine with organizational culture to deliver consistent results. Plus, she points out that a company’s key outcomes must be meaningful, measurable, and memorable so everyone knows what they are and if they’re on course to achieving them.

(00:32:53) Scaling culture. She explains how to build a more successful company culture by focusing on results and creating intentional employee experiences through a combination of culture management tools, such as feedback, employee recognition, and storytelling.

(00:34:17) Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. We talk about Jessica’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia and the country’s efforts to create greater economic diversity and achieve gender equality for women and girls.

(00:41:07) Accountability. Jessica stresses the importance of identifying problems, acknowledging shortcomings, and engaging in ‘above the line’ thinking that concentrates on solving the problem rather than allocating blame.