At the intersection of sports and leadership, The Highest Level Podcast with Evan Burk features thought-provoking conversations with athletes, coaches, and leaders in sports, to reveal how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Tyler about coach Mark Farley and the rise of the Northern Iowa football program, how leaders can develop team trust, and the intangibles of self in elite leaders and high performers.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Howard Payne Athletic Director Hunter Sims about appreciating the “invisible paychecks” coaches receive, how he developed his one-year onboarding program for 1st time head coaches, and what AD's look for when hiring a head coach to lead an athletic program.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to author Joan Ryan about team chemistry and how it affects performance, why trust among teammates and co-workers is so crucial to building great chemistry, and how relationships influence the team dynamics within the locker room.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Indianapolis Colts’ Director of Team Development Brian Decker about his model for talent assessment, how character is the bridge between talent and performance, and how the Colts’ see the culture of their team as a competitive advantage.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with NFL player Kelvin Beachum about his success in professional football despite being an “undersized” NFL Offensive Tackle, the great leadership ability of Mike Tomlin and Todd Bowles, and leaving a legacy of serving others in his community.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with performance coach Steve Mellor about his competitive swim career, his transition to becoming a career and executive coach, and setting a minimum standard to achieve sustained success.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with NBA Player development coach Mitch Ford about how a NBA coaching legend helped him get his start in the NBA, working first-hand with great NBA players Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, and the commonalities among the best cultures in the NBA
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with former NBA assistant coach Brittni Donaldson about coaching across genders as a female NBA coach, the factors that are ignored when evaluating NBA talent, and winning an NBA championship in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with Alan Stein Jr. about how he embraced being “the warm-up guy” to set the foundation for his career, how great athletes raise their game by focusing on the basics, and how professional basketball players hone their mental management techniques to sustain their game in basketball and in life.
In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to University of Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy about building the culture of his program by prioritizing the PERSON first - athlete second, capturing his players’ hearts with “Affirmation Bags”, and The Power of Tiny Gains in building the program’s culture.