It has been over two years since the start of the pandemic, and we are only just now beginning to see the repercussions. The impact of mental health is often an invisible one, and we may not always see it until later. The pandemic has affected not only the condition of our mental health, but also restricted many of our access to resources that coul…

Too often, people view leaders as those who are out front and in charge – they think in terms of power. But real leaders are those who have the ability to effect change in the lives of others. They are those who create a collaborative culture where everyone is supported, included, and set up to succeed. Join Russ Ewell’s conversation with educator …

Rather than building an organization around an individual leader or one generation of leaders, the goal should be to build a sustainable organization, which requires developing multiple generations of leaders who share the vision of building the organization to last. Join Russ as he talks to Jim and Rick McCartney about the importance of leaders wh…

As leaders, each of us needs to become self-aware, so we can develop the relationships necessary to cultivate an effective team. While a solo leader puts out objectives, a team leader puts out a mission. Russ Is joined by friend Dr. Gregg Marutzky, a minister, counselor, engineer, and professor in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, as they discuss …

Sensory Friendly Vaccine Clinic sign up In today’s podcast, Russ talks with Dr. Dave Traver and Dr. Dieter Bruno about the importance of understanding and inclusivity in the conversation surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations. On May 15 and June 12, Hope Technology School is partnering with the Bay Area Christian Church and Sequoia Hospital to provide C…

Artists communicate and articulate emotionally what we are unable to do ourselves. When we don’t value and support artists, society as a whole misses out on truth, introspection, and depth. An Urban Institute study found that “96 percent of respondents said they were greatly inspired and moved by various kinds of art…[and] only 27 percent of respon…

Students are people, first and foremost. When we treat them as products or resources for the job market, we deprive both them and the world of the creativity and depth necessary to develop holistic leaders. In this second episode of three, Russ continues his conversation with William Deresiewicz about rethinking and redefining education and the imp…

In this first episode of three, Russ talks with award-winning essayist and best-selling author William Deresiewicz about a varying number of topics, including friendship, mentorship, and learning from those who are different from you. Deresiewicz has published more than 280 essays and reviews, won the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the National Boo…

When thinking about effective leadership, it can be easy to focus on the tangible: what needs to be done and how quickly can it be accomplished? While this is important, it is just as important to develop self-awareness and team-building skills as leaders. Leaders should ask questions, be accessible, be vulnerable, and create an environment that al…

The Schaff Bros sit down to catch up on the NBA Conference Finals. Dive deep into the Trailblazers and Warrior potential sweep in the West. And the Bucks and Raptors slugfest in the East. They also share their thoughts on Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of 11 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus a surprise call-in by the Schaff Sis! If y…

Powerful emotions can derail, disrupt, distract, and disorient us. If we don’t learn how to handle strong emotions, they will begin to lead us and our company, department, or family. Join Russ Ewell on this episode as he gives us a spiritual and emotional antidote to emotionalism so we can reinvent our leadership. Subscribe to the Lead Different Ne…

As we are in the middle of a pandemic, it is easy to get negative. But this time of crisis opens the door to not just danger, but opportunity. Those who have accomplished extraordinary things in the past faced crises just like us, but were able to look past the danger to see the opportunities. We are in need of such leaders today: leaders who rise …

“Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.” Robert Kennedy Much like artists, leaders are visionary. They see things that no one else sees, and break the mold of what is considered normal. Not bound by the shackles of conformity, leaders are original in their thinking and in what they produce,…

“If we lingered on the past play perhaps we would miss an opportunity...Essentially, by not moving on to the next play immediately, we would be compounding that mistake, either by making another or by missing an opportunity to make a great play. Failing to move onto the next play was itself a mistake because it took focus and concentration off the …

“However tough people face their fears and doubts head-on, and they overcome them so they can function at the highest level without that fear and doubt inhibiting their ability to perform at their best. Embracing fear and using it to push yourself to get better, takes courage” Jay Bilas (Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court) Rus…

“We may be born into a great family situation or a difficult family situation that forces or conditions you to be tough, but we aren’t born that way. Toughness comes from how you handle your experiences, what you learn from them, and how you’re guided through them by others in your life.” Mike Krzyzewski (Jay Bilas, Toughness: Developing True Stren…

The Schaff Bros are back and excited to bring on a guest to this episode. Erin Grieg, our music, movie and tattoo connoisseur. We discuss everything that comes to her mind. We look into the movies like Captain Marvel and Us to discuss the hidden meanings and why Captain Marvel gets no love in the popular conscious. Next, Erin brings us into the Lo-…

The Schaff Bros are back! We are not a one time fluke, we are here to stay. Listen in as Nate and Joe launch into Season Two with a fury to talk about one of their favorite award shows of the year, The Academy Awards. Movies are a way of life, they are the greatest way to communicate an idea or an emotion. We try to capture that as we break down so…

The Schaff Bros say goodbye to 2018 with a little roundup of recommendations from their friends and listeners. They look back on the best of what 2018 gave us and provide you with a number of things to catch up on if you haven’t already: from books to read (or listen to) and movies to watch, and sports moments that will go down in history. Plus our…

On this special episode, one of our fans, Katie Yunger, joins the free-flowing discussion. She shares with the Schaff Bros the fun adventures of rock climbing and world traveling. Listen to the fun adventures Kitty and her husband enjoy adventures from Patagonia to Iceland. We further digress into the world of rock climbing and how this hobby is a …

Part two of the Thanksgiving Special is here. The Schaff Bros sit down with a few family members to talk about their “One Big Thing!” PaPa Schaff joins the show with Joe and Nate’s sister, Elizabeth to discuss her Grad School essay on how the media covers women in sports. It is a moving topic that she is passionate about and her passion is contagio…

In part one of our Thanksgiving Special, Nathan and Joe have a few family members come on the show to discuss their “One Big Thing!” Vince and Cherie break down the best Christmas movies to watch leading up to the big day! And also give their predictions on who will win the big game, Ohio State or Michigan. Next Cristy and Sheree join the Schaff Br…

Welcome back for the 6th episode of the Schaff Bros podcast. We kick things off today starting with the early reaction to Duke’s Fab 5! Coach K is now all in on “One & Done” college player and has now somehow got the top 5 players in college basketball on his team. Will they go undefeated? Give the NCAA Championship trophy to them already? Also, we…

Finishing the second part of our Military Leadership podcast, Russ continues his conversation with Lee and Ric on who were the military leaders that inspire them. One of the key take-aways is how helpful it is for everyone on the team to have a clear mission and purpose to what they are trying to accomplish. Once everyone knows their role and what …

The military is one of the most successful institutions that builds and develops leaders. Over half of the United States Presidents have served in the military. Russ sits down with Lee Delony and Ric McClain, both retired Military service members to talk about their time in the service and what they have learned about leadership and how that can tr…

Check out this episode as the Schaff Bros answer questions from their listeners on some hot topics. Parker calls in asking about Baker Mayfield and the Browns, LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers, and to get our thoughts on Virtual Reality! We receive some well wishes from cousin Katie and our sister Elizabeth, while giving our thoughts on their ques…

Continuing the conversation started in Part 1, Russ, Caleb and Matt share the overwhelming influence sports had on their lives and discuss how much it can develop the qualities of a leader. Northwestern University’s football team and their quest to unionize in an attempt to expand the rights and benefits of the student-athletes showed to contain ma…

Schaff Bros. go to the tape and look back on a forgotten classic, Space Jam, because of the recent announcement of LeBron James creating “Space Jam 2”. We look back on a film no one expected and, after viewing, never would forget. Just us as we listened to commentary of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and director Joe Pytka discuss the outlandish story arc…

On this episode we discuss the injuries that have plagued us both: real and fantasy. Nathan discusses his recent injury of his back strain. He was in so much pain it inflicted more than he thought... and he doesn’t remember what happened. Crazy times!!! Also, fantasy football hasn’t been well for Joe lately, with Jimmy G being injured and having to…

"My ego demands— for myself— the success of my team." BILL RUSSELL Everyone should be involved in team sports. Someway, somehow everyone should grow up in or around sports culture because it teaches you so many valuable lessons. How to work with others, leading a small group of individuals towards a common goal, working hard to achieve something an…

Welcome back everyone for the 2nd episode of The Schaff Bros podcast. Unlike Attack Of The Clones, this is the story of a friendship that blossoms into a bromance! We discuss the NBA offseason and how the angry Ninja Turtle, Russell Westbrook, will lead the Thunder. Also, we dive into Devin Booker’s injury this guy will literally put himself in har…

Welcome to the 1st podcast episode of The Schaff Bros. Two brothers whose different viewpoints bring everyone together for a good laugh. We talk NFL preview and the age old of question of is Tom Brady like Death & Taxes? We go into our pick for the NFL season and will we see a rematch of last year's Super Bowl. Also we dissect the greatness that is…

Russ Ewell sits down with Dave Banks and Todd Singleton to discuss if it is worth the time and effort to build and train leaders, allowing them the opportunity to fail and learn through their mistakes. Mark Zuckerberg, according to Kara Swisher’s opinion piece in the New York Times, has cost many people their privacy while he learns “on the job” ho…

What can you learn from past Presidents on how to lead good? Russ Ewell and Nathan Schaffernoth sit down to discuss the 2017 Presidential Historians Survey conducted by C-SPAN, which polled 91 historians on presidential leadership, including economic management, international relations, crisis leadership, public persuasion skills and whether they p…

Steve Jobs was one of the primary creative forces behind Apple and their success at becoming one of the most important companies in the world. There is something to learn from how he impassioned his coworkers to buy into the vision of what Apple could be. He was never afraid to fail and learned to change in the process. Check out Nathan and Russ on…

How does a leader do more by doing less? In the inaugural episode of the Leading Good podcast; Russ, Nathan and Greg sit down to talk about LeBron, the Lakers and Leadership. They dive deep on surrounding yourself with the right people to get the job done and discuss the real life leadership lessons we can learn from sports.…