Ivy League Prep Academy Podcast

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My Harvard Professor John Paul Rollert pt. 2 Aug 03, 2020

Show notes

Today we are so excited to have with us one of the most caring and competent people I’ve ever met. I was fortunate enough to sit in Dr. John Paul Rollert’s Leadership class while pursuing my masters degree in business management. My classmates from this class and I still keep in touch and everyone is eagerly looking forward to this podcast, as well as part one from last week.

John Paul Rollert’s teaching is legendary at Harvard. I hope to give you a taste of why he is so respected and appreciated in these two podcast episodes, even though nothing can replace sitting in his actual class. Dr. Rollert is well respected in law, education, business, and ethics, and a quick google search will bring up articles he has written for the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Yale Law Journal, to name a few. Look out for his upcoming book about his experience working on the 2008 Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. A graduate from Harvard College, he earned his law degree at Yale and his PhD from the University of Chicago. Most of all, to me, he is an inspiring teacher, and I feel fortunate to count myself among the students he has taught both at Harvard and at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

In this podcast, which is part two of two, you can hear about his experiences in high school leading up to being accepted to Harvard College, as well as his advice for teenagers today. His advice about finding your values and pursuing ways to make a meaningful impact while in high school rather than chasing trophies is some of the best advice you'll hear around admissions to Harvard and other Ivy League or top-tier universities.
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My Leadership Professor at Harvard, John Paul Rollert, part 1 Jul 27, 2020

Show notes

Hello everyone, today we are so excited to have with us one of the most caring and competent people I’ve ever met. I was fortunate enough to sit in Dr. John Paul Rollert’s Leadership class while pursuing my masters degree in business management. My classmates from this class and I still keep in touch and everyone is eagerly looking forward to this podcast, as well as part 2, which will go live next week. In about 10 minutes you’ll know what the excitement is all about.

In this first podcast, I will share the last few minutes of my conversation with Dr. Rollert, who prefers to go by John Paul. Next week, in part 2, you can hear about his experiences in high school leading up to being accepted to Harvard College, as well as his advice for teenagers today. You WON’T want to miss that.

In this episode, I’m going to cut in to the point where I asked John Paul to share with us the concluding message from his Leadership class. I am not exaggerating to say that our class, as I’m sure so many others before us, spontaneously stood up for a standing ovation when he finished. Everyone was touched, as was evident by the number of people drying their eyes. Please enjoy this message from John Paul Rollert.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

What To Do With Fear Jul 20, 2020

Show notes

After an amazing class with my private students, I share the highlights of our discussion around the origin of fear, and what to do with the fear we feel.
According to Brendon Burchard, emotional fear comes from three sources: fear of loss, fear of process pain, and outcome pain. We share what this means for high school students and I summarize my brilliant students' strategies for getting the most out of the energy that fear creates in us.
This is a can't-miss episode!
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Extreme Ownership Jul 13, 2020

Show notes

Steve and Nathaniel review Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
Highlights include:

True leaders don’t shift blame to others. They own mistakes and failures of those on their teams recognizing that they have control over what happens on their team.
If a member of the team is not performing well, leaders train them to help them improve, they don’t blame them. Leaders find ways to use their influence to improve outcomes.
Leadership attitude is contagious
We can all expand our sphere of influence by first focusing on the things we can control rather than worrying about the things we can't control.
Join us for a "no complaining challenge" for the rest of the day and see how you feel.

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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

See Value in Yourself from the 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

Law 3. The Law of the Mirror: You Must See Value in Yourself to Add Value to Yourself

You will not give yourself time to grow if you think you are not worthy of it.

Low self-esteem, or lack of self-confidence, is one of the biggest barriers that prevent people from growing and reaching their potential.

“Every time you take a step, think a positive thought, make a good choice, practice a small discipline, you’re moving one step closer. Just keep moving forward, and keep believing.” -John Maxwell.
To counter this,

a) Guard your self-talk. We tend to be tougher on ourselves more than anyone else.
b) Stop comparing yourself to others.
c) Move beyond your limiting beliefs.
d) Add value to others.
e) Practice a small discipline daily in a specific area of your life.
f) Take responsibility for your life.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Speed Reading Jun 28, 2020

Show notes

Few topics we could discuss would be able to change someone's life as much as learning about metacognitive skills-- learning how to learn better.
In this episode we discuss speed reading-- how to do it, and why many people don't. We also points out numerous studies that show how a larger vocabulary leads to promotions and greater income potential.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Awareness: Know Yourself to Grow Yourself from the 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell Jun 21, 2020

Show notes

Law #2 from The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell
Awareness; Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
Identify the gap between what you want to do and what you are able to do. Then work to close that gap.
One of the best ways to do this is raise your EQ so you are more accurate about your current ability compared to where you need to be to reach your goals.
Another way to gain awareness is to get appropriate feedback from people who know you well.
Perhaps the most effective method is to seek out a mentor; someone who has been down the same path you are on now, who can give you the "cheat codes" to get where you want to be faster and more effectively.
Steve and Nathaniel discuss how do increase your self awareness, ask for feedback, and find and keep a valuable mentor along the way.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Intention from The 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell pt. 2 Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

Law #1: Law of Intentionality; Growth doesn't just happen.
Growth doesn’t just happen automatically. It is an intentional process.

We discuss 8 major traps Maxwell identifies that prevent personal growth.
1. The Assumption Gap “I assume I will automatically grow”
2. The Knowledge Gap “I don’t know how to grow”
3. The Timing Gap – “It’s not the right time to begin”
4. The Mistake Gap – “I’m afraid of making mistakes”
5. The Perfection Gap – “I have to find the best way before I start”
6. The Inspiration Gap – “I don’t feel like doing it”
7. The Comparison Gap – “Others are better than I am”
8. The Expectation Gap – “I thought it would be easier than this”
We discuss these barriers to personal growth and what to do about it. This is part 2 of 2.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Intention from The 15 Laws of Growth by John Maxwell pt. 1 Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

Law #1: Law of Intentionality; Growth doesn't just happen.
Growth doesn’t just happen automatically. It is an intentional process.

We discuss 8 major traps Maxwell identifies that prevent personal growth.
1. The Assumption Gap “I assume I will automatically grow”
2. The Knowledge Gap “I don’t know how to grow”
3. The Timing Gap – “It’s not the right time to begin”
4. The Mistake Gap – “I’m afraid of making mistakes”
5. The Perfection Gap – “I have to find the best way before I start”
6. The Inspiration Gap – “I don’t feel like doing it”
7. The Comparison Gap – “Others are better than I am”
8. The Expectation Gap – “I thought it would be easier than this”
We discuss these barriers to personal growth and what to do about it.
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

Triumphs of Experience May 31, 2020

Show notes

Nathaniel and Steve discuss Triumphs of Experience, by By George Vaillant

What if we could watch people from when they are teenagers to the time they die to study how they lived and what made them triumph?
They did
Researchers spent $20 million as of 2012 tracking 724 men from Harvard University since 1938 (and now tracking their children)

Listen to hear about the study, the take aways, and Nathaniel's advice after reading the book.
Just a hint, the lessons learned from this study aren’t about wealth, fame, working hard. The clearest message from the study is that good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
Enjoy!
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To register for the Ivy League Challenge, visit our website.
To follow on Instagram: @TheIvyLeagueChallenge
To join us on our Facebook group for parents:
Or schedule a meeting with Steve here

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