Podcast
Glue Guys
Hosted by Glue Guys · EN
Alex Smith, Shane Battier, and Ravi Gupta are coming together to cut across the worlds of sports and business and dissect the subtle art of making others better. Glue Guys explores the qualities that make individuals become better leaders, teammates, and humans alongside a trio with those same ambitions. In each episode, you’ll hear candid conversations on themes and life lessons drawn from their own high-stakes experiences. From strategies for effective teamwork to personal stories of success, the podcast covers a broad range of topics relevant to anyone looking to make an impact in their respective fields.
19episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Surprising Power of Nostalgia - [Glue Guys, Ep. 64]
Jan 1200:40:29Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Glue Guys, the conversation starts with a 25-year reunion and expands into something much bigger: how time speeds up, relationships drift, and moments quietly pass before we realize their weight. The guys reflect on teams, reunions, mentorship, parenting, and careers — and the shared belief that we’ll get to it someday.
Transcribe →Our Favorite Moments from 2025 - [Glue Guys, Ep. 63]
Dec 2200:46:03Tap to summarize2025 was a great year for the Glue Guys. We had the chance to sit down with some incredible guests and hear stories we’ll be thinking about for a long time. In this special Year in Review episode, we look back on our favorite moments from the show — breaking down the conversations, lessons, and surprises that stood out most. From leadership and culture to competition and career-defining moments, this episode revisits what made each conversation stand out.
Transcribe →Is Phillip Rivers Having the Most Incredible NFL Comeback Ever? [Glue Guys, Ep. 62]
Dec 1200:54:13Tap to summarizePhilip Rivers is returning to the NFL at 44 years old — five years retired, coaching high school football, and firmly into the next chapter of his life. And yet, when the Colts called, he said yes. This week, the guys unpack why this comeback is so much more complex — and meaningful — than it looks from the outside. Alex offers a rare, insider perspective on Rivers as a competitor, leader, and processor of the game. Shane explores when a comeback reflects courage versus when it risks becoming a chase. Ravi zooms out to compare sports comebacks with leadership transitions in business — from Steve Jobs to Bob Iger — and what separates the inspiring ones from the ones that feel forced.
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Should Ole Miss Let Lane Kiffin Coach? [Glue Guys, Ep. 61]
Dec 501:23:48Tap to summarizeLane Kiffin's shocking move from Ole Miss to LSU ignited one of the biggest controversies in recent college football history. Should he have been allowed to coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff? Did the school sabotage its own chance at a national championship? And how much do trust, loyalty, and the transfer portal factor into decisions like this? In this episode, the Glue Guys go deep on the football strategy, the business dynamics, locker room trust, tribalism in sports, and what Kiffin’s move means for the future of college athletics.
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The Championship Mindset of DoorDash CEO Tony Xu - [Glue Guys, Ep. 60]
Nov 2400:57:52Tap to summarizeTony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, joins the Glue Guys for a rare deep-dive into how great teams, great leaders, and great organizations are actually built. Tony shares the real story behind DoorDash’s climb — from years of near-failure, to navigating fierce competition, to developing a culture that values humility, experimentation, and continuous improvement. What emerges is a remarkably honest look at what it takes to perform under pressure, stay resilient through setbacks, and lead with clarity as the stakes rise.
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The Science of Momentum with Don Yaeger - [Glue Guys, EP. 59]
Nov 1300:58:49Tap to summarizeShane and Alex sit down with bestselling author Don Yaeger, who has spent years studying one of the most misunderstood forces in sports, business, and life: momentum. Yaeger — a 12-time New York Times bestselling author who has collaborated with legends like Coach K, John Wooden, Walter Payton, and Michael Oher — breaks down the science behind momentum: how it works, how leaders create it, and what truly separates teams that catch fire from those that collapse.
Transcribe →Greg Olsen is Coaching a New Generation of Glue Guys - [Glue Guys, EP. 58]
Nov 601:10:40Tap to summarizeGreg Olsen joins the Glue Guys to dive deep into what it really means to compete — as a player, a coach, and a parent. Greg shares lessons from his father’s old-school New Jersey football program, coaching middle schoolers with Luke Kuechly and Jonathan Stewart, and the challenge of raising kids in today’s hyper-competitive, social-media-driven sports culture.
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Curiosity, Agency, and AI with Bret Taylor [Glue Guys, EP.57]
Oct 2301:06:41Tap to summarizeRavi Gupta and Shane Battier sit down with tech visionary Bret Taylor, co-founder of Sierra AI and former CTO of Facebook, co-CEO of Salesforce, and chairman of OpenAI. Taylor shares his philosophy on career evolution, explaining why he refuses to let an "ossified version of his past self limit his future self." The conversation covers his journey from Google Maps co-creator to AI entrepreneur, insights on parenting in the AI era, the importance of communication and clear thinking, and his partnership with co-founder Clay Bavor. #BretTaylor #SierraAI #AI #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Tech #CEO #Career #growth #Innovation #Founders #GlueGuys
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Brian Halligan: The Authenticity Playbook - [Glue Guys, EP.9]
Oct 24, 2024Tap to summarizeIf you’re looking for a model in authentic leadership, Hubspot founder Brian Halligan is your guy. He joins the Glue Guys conversation this week to talk as much about how he grew his company into a multi-billion-dollar company, as how he’s grown as a person. From the adrenaline-pumping tale of a near-fatal snowmobile accident that dramatically altered Brian's perspective to his candid revelations about imposter syndrome and anxiety to tips on building an iconic company culture, this episode gives a look at the human side of business and leadership.For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here.-----This episode is brought to you by Ramp, the financial operation platform that simplifies everything about how businesses spend money and spend their time. You can manage spend approvals, control your expenses, automate your accounting, track your vendor relationships, book your travel and delight your entire workforce with intuitive business software. Ramp enables you to focus all of your attention on what's most important. Get started now and build a more efficient team and a more profitable business, whether you have five employees or 25,000. Go to ramp.com/gg to sign up for free and receive a $250 welcome bonus. -----This episode is brought to you by EightSleep, the temperature-controlled mattress cover that heats or cools your mattress to transform your sleep. The Pod 4 Ultra is the new gold standard in intelligent sleep systems. It can be added to your current mattress like a fitted sheet and is been clinically proven to give you up to an hour more quality of sleep every night. The cooling capability can cool your side of the bed to 20 degrees below room temperature, all managed by the pod's autopilot feature, which adjusts the temperature throughout the night. Go to eightsleep.com/glueguys and use the code glueguys for $350 off. -----Glue Guys is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Glue Guys, visit https://joincolossus.com/series/glue-guys/. Stay up to date on all our podcasts by signing up to Colossus Weekly, our quick dive every Sunday highlighting the top business and investing concepts from our podcasts and the best of what we read that week. Sign up here.Follow us on Twitter: @GlueGuys_Pod | @JoinColossusEditing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).Show Notes:(00:00:00) Welcome to Glue Guys(00:06:06) Meet Brian Halligan: The Executive Chairman of HubSpot(00:07:26) The Importance of the Glue Guy(00:08:41) Brian Halligan's Leadership Journey(00:12:38) Customer Feedback and Company Growth(00:20:29) Embracing Imposter Syndrome(00:28:17) CEO Coaching and Leadership Styles(00:38:58) Building a Winning Team: Homegrown vs. Free Agents(00:41:10) The Miami Heat's Big Three Era(00:43:13) The Little 12 and Team Dynamics(00:44:57) A Life-Changing Snowmobile Accident(00:47:27) The Decision to Step Down as CEO(00:53:40) Reflections on Leadership and Culture(01:06:16) The Importance of Company Culture
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