Trip Hawkins built Electronic Arts and created the most widespread and popular sports video game of all time, Madden. He pioneered the video game industry and is one of the most well known video game creators in the industry. Trip went on to start many more companies with various levels of success. He is a professor at UC-Santa Barbara now. In this episode:

• Getting hooked on the idea of video games at an early age
• Creating his own major at Harvard – Strategy and Applied Game Theory, and becoming a pioneer
• Finding a mentor in Tom Schelling, Noble Prize Winner, at Harvard
• Trailblazing his own path to learn more about computers and video games
• Joining Steve Jobs’ team and working for Apple
• Leaving Apple and launching Electronic Arts
• The birth of EA Sports – Having the first ever celebrity, Dr.J, involved with making a video game; Dr. J and Larry Bird go 1-on-1
• Creating the most interactive sports game of all time – Madden football
• How the biggest strength can become a blind spot and become the biggest weakness
• Ego – the most potent part of the subconscious
• Leaving EA, his first baby, behind and forming 3DO
• Overcoming bankruptcy and the dissolve of 3DO
• Finding gratitude in anything
• Not tying yourself to an outcome or desire
• Helping other technology startup entrepreneurs with his consulting practice
• Why Tetrus and Fortnite have Trip’s utmost respect

You can find more information on Trip at https://tmp.ucsb.edu/about/people/trip-hawkins

Brad Smeele was a professional wakeboarder at the top of the sport performing tricks that no one else could do. However, during one attempt at a trick, Brad crashed into a ramp and broke his neck. He instantly lost the ability to move his arms and legs. He learned to live life without the physical talent he once had, and instead embraces the deeper perspective he has gained. In this episode:

• Falling in love with wakeboarding
• Becoming a professional athlete and training year round
• The first ever to land a specific trick and winning Trick of the Year
• How another attempt at the trick led to permanent injury
• Learning how to live life as a quadriplegic
• Losing his identity in his physical talent and abilities, and gaining a greater perspective
• The Movement Collaborative – Trying to speed up the research process by collaborating with other spinal injury organizations to find a cure
• The Keep or Cut Challenge – Taking the challenge involves taking the risk of allowing your friends, family and followers to vote on whether you keep or cut your hair in order to raise money for spinal injury research.
• “I wish everyone could learn what I’ve learned in my journey without having to go through what I’ve had to go through.”
• Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs

Brad is the founder of The Movement Collaborative. You can find out more information about the organization here, http://themovementcollaborative.com/. And you can follow Brad on Instagram @bradsmeele