Sherri Coale was the head coach of the University of Oklahoma women’s basketball team for 25 years (1996-2021). In 2009 and 2010, she took her team to back-to-back Final Fours. Coach Coale was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Sherri is also the best-selling author of Rooted to Rise: The Redwood Legacies of Life-Anchoring People.

Brook Cupps is the head basketball coach at Centerville High School, where he led his team to the 2021 Division I State Championship and four consecutive Final Four appearances. Brook helps leadership teams live in alignment with their values, become more disciplined, and earn better results. Brook is the author of Surrender the Outcome and co-author (with Ryan) of The Score That Matters.

Geron Stokes is the head football coach at Dublin Coffman High School in Ohio, where he has led his teams to multiple conference championships and playoff appearances, including two Ohio State Championships. As part of The Learning Leader Team, Geron provides raw, accurate feedback in his “see it, say it” style that clients have grown to love.

Eli Leiker is an experienced educator and coach with 13 years in high school and college settings, driven by his values of “Strive Daily” and “Serve Others.” He plays a key role in producing The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk, handling podcast editing, production, and assisting with leadership summits and consulting. Eli has been a varsity assistant basketball coach for 14 years under Brook Cupps, contributing to four Final Four appearances and a state championship.

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Order Our NEW USA TODAY Best-Selling BOOK, The Score That Matters. “People spend far too much time obsessing about external scoreboards and not nearly enough time thinking about their internal one. Hawk and Cupps offer an important corrective, arguing the most important measure is whether or not you are living in alignment with your core values.” — Brad Stulberg, Best-Selling Author of Master of Change

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The Learning Leader Show

  • “Have I ever mentioned how much I f’n love these Phase 2 calls?!? Free cocaine. Straight outta the Dope Factory.” – Geron Stokes
  • “Another thing that I found is an intense interest of the subject is indispensable if you are really going to excel. I could force myself to be fairly good in a lot of things, but I couldn’t be really good in anything where I didn’t have an intense interest.” – Charlie Munger
  • Our Team Values & Behaviors:
    • Curious: practice invested listening 
    • Honest: give direct feedback 
    • Intentional: provide purposeful action
  • What is our edge as a TEAM? Our purpose, our values, and our behaviors. We are ACTIVELY doing it.
    • Raw and Simple: We cut through the noise and address the fundamental issues leaders face. Our straightforward approach helps teams confront what they’re not doing and empowers them to take actionable steps toward improvement.
    • In The Arena: We don’t just talk about leadership principles—we live them. Every member of our team actively practices the strategies we coach, ensuring real-world insights and practical solutions.
    • Take Risks: We’re unafraid to push boundaries and challenge conventional thinking. We help leaders take bold actions, even if it means stepping out of their comfort zones or facing tough consequences.
  • Love being on a team that “makes the water rise.” We all are better for being together on the same team.
  • Gratitude – You can’t roll up your sleeves and clench your fists at the same time. Living with gratitude is about recognizing and appreciating what you have. This will change the lens in which you view the world. Geron (overheard from Coach Mike Gundy): “I can’t believe they pay us to do this.” It is so much fun working with this team and the reward is that we get to keep doing it. So grateful.
  • The makeup of a great team… They are tough, they have fun together, they care about each other, and they have that gritty humility about them. “Humble enough to listen, gritty enough to apply.”
  • Our prep calls – The calls before the calls. We learn so much from our preparation together. It’s an open forum to share ideas, disagree, talk through stories, and figure out how to make people better. Some of my favorite times.
  • How to work with the employee who just won’t fully buy-in. Be curious, not judgemental. Ask questions. LISTEN. Care. As Sherri said, “Nobody wants to sleepwalk through life.” We need to figure out what makes them come alive and help them bring that to the team.
  • Apply to be in my Learning Leader Circle.
Resources:

Time Stamps

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins — How To Go From Good To Great

Episode #300: AJ & Keith Hawk – How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Children

Episode #303:  General Stanley McChrystal – The New Definition Of Leadership