What does leadership look like when life delivers its hardest challenge? In this deeply moving episode of Leadership Blueprints, BJ Kraemer welcomes NC State defensive coordinator DJ Eliot to talk about coaching, mentorship, and resilience both on and off the football field. DJ explains the philosophy behind his renowned "Skill Drill Time" approach to player development, building winning cultures in today's ever-changing college football landscape, and the invaluable role mentorship has played throughout his career. DJ also shares his family's extraordinary journey through his daughter’s courageous six-year battle with cancer, and the role of courage, presence, and gratitude when life doesn't go according to plan. Tune in to hear why you should always choose to fight, embrace each day with purpose, and inspire others through the way we live, with DJ Eliot.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Discover the philosophy behind DJ’s approach to coaching.
• Find out who inspired DJ to develop his coaching framework.
• Uncover the value of mentorship and a lifelong growth mindset.
• Hear how DJ got into coaching football as a profession.
• The differences between coaching professional and college football.
• Explore how situational preparation separates winning teams from the rest.
• Get an update on the Wolf Pack, including key players.
• Learn how today's college football landscape has impacted leadership styles.
• Understand what it takes to be a leader and build a winning culture.
• Unpack why effective leaders must earn trust before expecting others to follow.
• DJ shares how his family overcame the loss of his daughter through leadership.
• Reflect on his daughter’s inspiring message: always choose to fight.
• Why being fully present is one of life's greatest leadership skills.

Quotes:

“Players don’t do what you tell them to do; players do what you train them to do.” — @CoachEliot [0:03:26]

“You can’t perform a job if you don’t know what the job description is.” — @CoachEliot [0:07:34]

“If you don’t continue to figure out how to get better – and if you don’t continue to try to learn, then you won’t make it in [the coaching] profession, because it’s constantly changing.” — @CoachEliot [0:08:42]

“If you have a hungry roster, then you got a chance.” — @CoachEliot [0:15:41]

“You’re not leading if nobody is following you.” — @CoachEliot [0:19:53]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

DJ Eliot

DJ Eliot on X

North Carolina State University

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

‘How DJ Eliot's daughter continues to inspire him and his family’

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn

After spending 36 years at EwingCole, John Capelli has officially stepped into the role of CEO. But his story isn't just about reaching the top. It's about a company that has spent decades intentionally developing leaders, planning for succession, and building an ownership model designed to outlast any one individual.

In this episode of Leadership Blueprints, BJ Kraemer sits down with John to discuss EwingCole's unique approach to leadership, the lessons John learned throughout his career, and why earning respect comes from contribution rather than title. They explore succession planning, mentorship, company culture, and how organizations can create opportunities for future generations while continuing to grow.

Whether you're an executive, a manager, or an emerging leader, this conversation offers practical insights on building a career, developing others, and creating organizations that stand the test of time.

Key Topics:

• The history behind EwingCole's unique ownership and succession model
• John's 36-year journey from architect to CEO
• Why leadership transitions should be intentional, not reactive
• The importance of mentorship and earning influence through contribution
• Preparing the next generation of leaders while continuing to grow
• How innovation, AI, and technology are shaping the future of design firms

Memorable Quotes:
John Capelli: "You built something, and you want to see it go on."
John Capelli: "You have to figure out who you want to work with—and make sure it's the right person."
John Capelli: "If I did that successfully, I would actually get more respect than I ever had when I was wearing the director of operations position."
John Capelli: "People can't advance in their careers if you're not growing."
John Capelli: "Our door is always open."

Connect with John Capelli & EwingCole:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ewingcole/
Website: https://www.ewingcole.com/

Connect with BJ Kraemer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/
Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224

A lot of people are talking about how AI is changing the landscape of professional services, but there’s one really important consideration that often gets overlooked — cyber threats. As CEO of Ridgeback Network Defense Inc., today’s guest, Scott Fogarty, helps organisations defend against cyber attacks. We begin by unpacking the importance of being prepared for battle as a business leader with the understanding that cybersecurity is a real fight against other human beings who pose a threat to the safety of our resources. Next, Scott reveals more about his leadership and founder journey, with insights on how to manage and nurture successful teams. We also explore Scott’s mission to get business leaders to take ownership of cyber safety rather than deferring only to their IT professionals. Our conversation dissects two major strategies for online safety, and how Ridgeback’s system uses game theory to prevent attacks before they even begin. Join us for an important discussion about an issue that impacts us all.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why the topic of cyber defense is so important for business leaders.
• How to build a culture of industriousness among teams.
• Founding Ridgeback Network Defense Inc.
• Scott’s mission to enlist the time and attention of business leaders to focus on cyber safety.
• What keeps users from understanding cybersecurity needs.

Quotes:

“[Cybersecurity] is a fight against other human beings who wish to harm us or steal our resources, not a bad weather system.” — Scott Fogarty

“The reward is not from sitting in your desk and writing emails that command people to do this or that — it’s by drawing on diverse talents and diverse experience and enlisting everybody in a bigger objective.” — Scott Fogarty

“Composing a mix of folks who get pleasure out of working with one another is a key part of inspiring industriousness.” — Scott Fogarty

“Cyber is the pervasive undercurrent to geopolitical instability because it’s everywhere and it’s out of public view, but it’s a key method by which criminals, nation states who aren’t freedom-loving, are exercising influence.” — Scott Fogarty

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Scott Fogarty on LinkedIn

Scott Fogarty Email

Ridgeback Network Defense

The Sword of Damocles: A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift for the Defense

Episode 254

The Sun Also Rises

The Aeneid

The Infinite Game

Leadership Blueprints Links:

Leadership Blueprints Podcast

Leadership Blueprints Podcast on YouTube

MCFA

MCFA Careers

BJ Kraemer on LinkedIn
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Most people think winning builds confidence. But this former Princeton National Champion says it's the other way around.

For Lauren, the championship isn't the first thing she remembers when she reflects on how sports shaped her. It's the moments that taught her to believe in herself. Now, as a high school lacrosse coach and parent of three athletes, she's helping young people discover a different kind of victory—one that has nothing to do with the scoreboard and everything to do with who they're becoming.

In this episode, Lauren and BJ explore why the mental side of sports deserves as much attention as physical talent, how great coaches learn to see every player differently, why confidence can't be given but can be cultivated, and how redefining victory changes the way we lead, coach, parent, and live. The line that stuck: it’s about climbing the mountain and finding our own victories.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

The Pivotal Moment That Shaped Her Athletic Career

Why the Mental Game Deserves Equal Attention

Why Failure Matters

Why Hard Things Help Kids

The Invisible Connection Between Coaches, Parents, and Players

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter

The story of America is the story of getting punched in the face and choosing to come back stronger. That is not just history. That is leadership. As the country turns 250, BJ sits down with Army Colonel Steve Messenger to unpack what that actually demands of you. Steve teaches a class called Failing with the Stoics and has spent his career building leaders inside the military's deliberate, hierarchical, brutal development system.

In this episode, Steve and BJ get into the BRAG framework for servant leadership, why solid citizens and learners need totally different things from you, the three ropes every leader has to bounce off of, the moment a major stepped into a combatives ring and got slammed in the face, and the identity lie most leaders quietly believe. The line that stuck with BJ: chase people, not badges.

Topics discussed:

00:00 - Reagan, freedom, and the 250th birthday setup

01:13 - Why America's story is the story of getting back up

07:25 - Doing your best when life has split priorities

10:07 - The Failing with the Stoics class

11:04 - Solid citizens vs learners and what each one needs

14:01 - The BRAG framework for servant leadership

19:00 - The major who stepped into the combatives ring

24:29 - Jack Hughes and the gold medal goal that says it all

27:11 - The three ropes every leader needs to bounce off of

35:02 - The identity lie most leaders quietly believe

Connect with Stephen Messenger:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-messenger-866136a5/

Website: https://themaximumstandard.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenmessenger19/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069227347214&locale=es_LA

Connect with BJ Kraemer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/

Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224

Books mentioned:

• Why Not the Best by Jimmy Carter
• Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
• No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings
• Antifragile by Nassim Taleb

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter

Most firms send their project managers to a bootcamp once a year, hand them a certificate, and call it development. Anthony Fasano says that's not even close. PMs are running your client relationships, your budgets, your teams. They are CEOs of their projects. If you are not building them like CEOs, you are capping your own growth. Anthony just released Beyond PM Training, and his ecosystem approach is a wake up call for any firm that thinks a seminar is a strategy.

In this episode, Anthony and BJ break down the four phases of real PM development, why 90 percent of firms cannot even tell you how many PMs they have, the abundance mindset most of the industry is missing, and the line BJ keeps coming back to. Systems beat seminars. If you run a firm or you are a PM trying to develop yourself, this one is the blueprint.

Topics discussed:

00:00 - Why PM development is the real growth lever
02:33 - PM development is an ecosystem, not a class
04:01 - The four phases of the development ecosystem
05:07 - Why 90 percent of firms cannot even count their PMs
06:18 - Why you have to assess PMs before you train them
10:14 - Getting senior PMs speaking the same language
17:14 - PMs have to advocate for themselves too
19:10 - The abundance mindset that lifts the whole industry
21:19 - Why systems beat seminars
23:11 - How to micro dose PM development

Connect with Anthony Fasano:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjfasano/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EngineeringManagementInstitute/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/engineeringmanagementinstitute/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@engmgtinstitute
X: https://x.com/EngMgtInstitute
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@EngineeringManagement
Website:https://engineeringmanagementinstitute.org/

Connect with BJ Kraemer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/
Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

Get Weekly Leadership Blueprints in your inbox: https://mailchi.mp/mcfaglobal/leadership-blueprints-newsletter

Most parents think they're doing right by their kid in youth sports. They show up. They invest. They mean well. But Jonathan Carone says two hidden emotions are quietly driving most of the bad sideline calls. Self love and self glory. Once you can name them, the whole thing changes. Jonathan runs Healthy Sports Parents and helps moms, dads, and coaches build the kind of relationship with their kid that makes the sport actually mean something.

In this episode, Jonathan and BJ get into the youth sports arms race, why kids are quitting before high school, the fun map study that puts winning at 40th on the list of things kids actually find fun, and the 5 to 10 ratio every parent and coach should know. The line that stuck: methods are many, principles are few.

Topics discussed:

00:00 - Welcome and why this topic matters
01:17 - What kids actually need from the adults around them
03:33 - The two hidden emotions driving every sports parent
06:15 - BJ's real time dilemma with his nine year old
11:20 - If you're meant to get there, you're going to get there
22:20 - The fun map study and where winning actually ranks
23:01 - The 5 to 10 ratio every parent and coach should know
26:34 - Why you need love deposits before criticism
28:52 - The Kobe Bryant moment that reframes coaching kids
31:09 - I'm dad. Then I'm coach.

Connect with Jonathan Carone:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-carone-52145778/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HealthySportsParents/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthysportsparents\
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@healthysportsparents
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@HealthySportsParents
Website: https://healthysportsparents.com/

Connect with BJ Kraemer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/
Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com

Most business owners can rattle off their revenue, their pipeline, and their biggest headaches. Almost none can answer this one. What is the business actually doing to serve you in your life? Krystn Macomber asks her clients that before anything else. She's a fractional Chief Growth Officer who helps small government contractors stop chasing every shiny opportunity and actually build a strategy.

In this episode, Krystn and BJ get into the BD curse of always saying "maybe we can win this," why the first year of her own business was the easy one, where AI actually helps in marketing and where it falls flat, and the rule she made about saying yes to the scary stuff. If you run a business or you're sitting in corporate thinking about leaving, this one has something you can use this week.

Topics discussed:

00:00 - What fractional growth support actually is
01:46 - Who Krystn says no to as a client
05:15 - The business development curse
08:01 - How chasing everything burns out your best people
10:12 - Where AI helps in BD and where it falls flat
14:16 - Why the first year of business was the easy one
15:27 - The LinkedIn highlight reel needs to go
20:10 - Promoted to manage 25 people overnight
24:01 - The rule she made about saying yes to scary things
31:08 - The question every business owner should ask themselves

Connect with Krystn Macomber:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystnmacomber/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/summitstrategywins/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/summitstrategywins/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6BGAiN7JAN_RvI6K9mzAzA
Website: https://www.summitstrategywins.com/

Connect with BJ Kraemer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bj-kraemer-9a0855b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bj_kraemer/
Website: https://mcfaglobal.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4bcvcAw0rigwymZCwZgfgN?si=45fc1e07c82742ee
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-blueprints/id1561090224

This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique: https://www.podcastboutique.com