Magnifying Excellence

Ty Murray is the "King of the Cowboys", and one of the best to ever do it in the sport of rodeo. He stared down 1,500 pound bulls and made it look easy, when it was "scary and dangerous." How did he deal with being thrown into the fire? He dedicated himself to the basics and building the proper foundation first. Murray mastered the arts of bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc riding, earning 7 world all around titles plus multiple bull riding world titles in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) league. Moment of Excellence from Ty Murray: "What has to happen first is you have to have an understanding and develop an Excellence in the basics. I feel every endeavor in life has basics that you've got to be able to do. If you get thrown into the fire, you're not learning basics. You're just trying to stay alive. And if you can learn the basics really well first, and get where it's automatic and you don't think about it and your body just knows how to react in those ways, then when the fire does come, you're ready for it." This is a must listen episode for stories from on and off the dirt and how he also helped build the PBR into one of the world's largest sports leagues.

Guest Jennifer Lynne Williams has been breaking barriers and glass ceilings her whole life. Now, as the Chief Development Officer of the USA Basketball Foundation, she continues to make a difference. Williams is a former captain of the North Carolina basketball team and also a former athletic director at Alabama State University, and has been recognized with many accolades. "To be Excellent, you have to be able to stay focused," Williams says during the episode. "For me, I think it goes back to when I was in high school and I was taught to be an independent thinker. When you  know who you are and what you stand for, it's easy to be Excellent. And also to exude Excellence because you're comfortable in your own skin. Also, knowing your core values is key." Overcoming fear and challenges has also been part of her story, especially when she possibly didn't "look the part" when she was truly qualified. "I think at the end of the day, you have to know what you're doing it for and it's bigger than you," Williams says. "I was able to break a barrier in situations where you didn't see African-American women fundraising at the division one level. And by showing up every day and being prepared, it has inspired another generation." For more Excellence, visit www.xlete.com [http://www.xlete.com] For about the USA Basketball Foundation, visit USABfoundation.org [http://USABfoundation.org].

Linda Hartough is a fine artist who followed her beliefs to establish a new genre of golf art. Since 1984, she has captured some of the world's most beautiful golf courses through stunningly realistic paintings including Augusta National, Carnoustie, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. But her story also includes a deep dive into her business acumen and how that prevented her from being a "starving artist." Hartough on Excellence: "I think of Excellence as an individual's pursuit of developing their talent. I think everyone has a talent, but some people never realize it, Usually, if a person has passion and they know that's their purpose, then they are going to develop that to Excellence. It's just a natural progression." Visit xlete.com [http://www.xlete.com] for more Excellence. Hartough is credited as a trailblazer within the golf fine art industry and information about her work is available at Hartough.com [http://www.hartough.com]. Along the way, Hartough was a founding trustee of The Academy of Golf Art, which brings Excellence to the genre of golf art by attracting world-class artists, who offer their vision of the game to the fine art medium.

This could be our most important episode to date. Dr. Gerald E. Harmon is a practicing family medical specialist and also the president of the American Medical Association. At arguably no time in our history due to Covid-19 and other medical issues, is serving these roles been more important. In this episode, Dr. Harmon shares the excellence he witnesses from his colleagues, his definition of Excellence, why taking the advice of medical professionals is a little bit of Excellence, the impact of Covid-19 and why vaccinations are important, and more. Dr. Harmon's bio is filled with Excellence, including serving as major general in the Air Force, chief physician for the National Guard Bureau and assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Air Force. He has also been decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal and other honors. "One of the things I've learned with excellence is that my patients can trust me.," Harmon said during the episode. "They can trust their provider, the healthcare provider, whether it's me as a physician, whether it's someone coming in and taking their vital signs, (or anyone in the medical field. ) I've given interviews and people have said, 'what's the most important thing you've learned in medicine? And what's the most valuable thing you've taken away?' I think the most valuable thing I would take away is that people have trusted me. I've earned a patient's trust." Dr. Harmon offers terrific advice  throughout the episode, medical and otherwise. That's why I dubbed him, Dr. Advice. I hope you enjoy the episode. --Brian Hurlburt, host. For more about the Magnifying Excellence podcast, visit. xlete.com [http://www.xlete.com/]

"Go Before You Are Ready." A life mantra and one of the 10 LOE's (lines of effort) of Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only person in history to be both a United States Air Force pilot and PGA of America professional. During this episode, the uplifting Dan Rooney shares inspiration and conversations about his journey of Excellence, which includes thoughts behind the meaning of the title of his book, "Fly Into the Wind - How to Harness Faith and Fearlessness on Your Ascent to Greatness." From Rooney, who also is the founder of Foldsofhonor.org [http://Foldsofhonor.org], an organization that has awarded scholarships to 35,000 children of fallen military heroes: "Go before you are ready. If I I had an Anthem in my life, that's probably it. I really believe that people who go before they're ready, that's the DNA that ties greatness together." Also, he will reveal the life-altering lessons he learned as a fighter pilot that can translate into life for all of us. "Being a fighter pilot changed me forever," Rooney said during the episode.  "The number one thing you learn about Excellence is that it's a business of no excuses and very high stakes and being prepared. Number one, being very open and transparent about your mistakes in a world where everybody tries to hide everything. When you make a mistake on a mission, you write it down and you come in and you openly share those with the group in the spirit of humility and getting better." Lt. Col. Dan Rooney. Take a few minutes and listen to his message and learn more about his story. For more about the Magnifying Excellence podcast, visit. xlete.com [http://www.xlete.com]