Welcome to Mindful Monday!

This week, we focus on how to get promoted, autonomy/connection, not "just dabbling," vigorous exercise, and some wise words from James Baldwin. And... CLICK HERE to read our USA Today Best-Selling book, The Score That Matters.

#635: Rich Gotham - President of The Boston Celtics

​Rich Gotham is the President of the Boston Celtics. He is responsible for all aspects of the Celtics’ business operations. In addition, he works closely with Celtics ownership, basketball operations staff, and the NBA on basketball-related matters, as well as team and league initiatives. Since joining the Celtics in 2003, he’s helped grow team revenues by over 300%, and they’ve won two NBA championships. We discussed 'must-haves' for a leadership role, why he kept getting promoted, the importance of sales, hiring Brad Stevens, selling the team for a record-breaking $6.1 billion, and much more. You can also WATCH our conversation on YouTube.

#636: William von Hippel - Autonomy and Connection

​William von Hippel grew up in Alaska, got his B.A. at Yale and his PhD at the University of Michigan, and taught for a dozen years at Ohio State University before finding his way to Australia, where he is a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He’s the author of multiple books. A few months ago, he published The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness. We discussed why we need autonomy AND connection, leaders (born or made?), feedback (giving and receiving it), moving to Australia, making friends as an adult, and much more. You can also WATCH our conversation on YouTube.

"I Didn't Just Dabble"

At my 2025 Learning Leader Growth Summit in Scottsdale, I hosted Ed Latimore, former heavyweight boxer, physics graduate, competitive chess player, and bestselling author, for a surprise live podcast. As we talked, Ed shared useful stuff that resonated deeply with us in the room. One phrase particularly hit me. Ed mentioned wanting to "beef up his obituary." It was a powerful way to frame a life well-lived, not as a collection of accolades, but as a story worth telling. Near the end of our talk, I asked Ed what exactly he wanted to do to beef up his obituary and what he hoped would be written in it someday. He paused, the room falling silent in anticipation. Then, with quiet conviction, he simply said: "I didn't just dabble." CLICK HERE to read the full essay.

Vigorous Exercise

​NEW STUDY: People who consistently do vigorous exercise have slower rates of epigenetic aging compared to those who don't. Light to medium activities aren't enough.

Wise Words...

"Children are not good at listening to their elders, but they never fail to imitate them." - James Baldwin​

Thank you for reading. Mindful Monday is a reader-supported publication. The best way to support it is to order our book, The Score That Matters. If you've already read it, I'd love for you to CLICK THIS LINK and write a review.

Ryan Hawk Author: The Score That Matters, Welcome to Management, & The Pursuit of Excellence​ Host: The Learning Leader Show​