Navigating Midlife Transitions and Redefining High Performance featuring Joe Jacobi

Joe Jacobi is an Olympic gold medalist, performance coach, author, and speaker who transforms life’s transitions into opportunities for growth. He uses the metaphor of riding waves, literally and figuratively, to help leaders and teams find clarity, purpose, and momentum.

Joe earned the first U.S. Olympic gold medal in whitewater slalom canoeing at the 1992 Barcelona Games and later served as CEO of USA Canoe/Kayak, guiding organizational transformation with heart-centered leadership. Today, he coaches high-achieving professionals seeking clarity and renewal in midlife, helping them replace hustle with intention and reconnect with what truly matters.

SHOW SUMMARY

In this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Olympic gold medalist and performance coach Joe Jacobi. Together, they explore the importance of authenticity, internal alignment, and redefining high performance during the midlife chapters of life. Joe shares personal stories from his Olympic journey and his evolution into leadership and coaching. He discusses the power of questioning long-held beliefs, listening to the heart, and shifting from achievement-driven living to meaning-driven impact. Joe encourages listeners to embrace experimentation, purpose, and deeper self-awareness to unlock growth and fulfillment in both sales and life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Authentic Leadership: True leadership and sales success emerge from alignment, honesty, and leading with heart—not just intellect.
• Redefining High Performance: Midlife offers an opportunity to reexamine success metrics and shift toward meaningful contribution and personal fulfillment.
• Questioning Assumptions: Revisiting long-standing beliefs (“Could the opposite of that be true?”) opens possibilities for growth and reinvention.
• Second-Half Strategy: The second half of life thrives on intention, purpose, and legacy rather than relentless hustle.
• Experimentation & Renewal: Small, low-risk experiments can spark renewed energy and prevent complacency or burnout.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

The brain knows how to yell loudly and repetitively, but we need to give the heart more voice in the conversation.

If you don’t define high performance for yourself, the second half of life can feel like decomposition and disconnection.

The best thing we could hope for is that the next generation faces a higher level of problems because of the conversations we’re having now.

It’s about the bravery and courage to talk about the things no one talks about—but everyone thinks about.

📌 FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION

Connect with Joe Jacobi:

➡️Joe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobijoe/

To dive deeper into today’s conversation and access the resources Joe mentioned, visit his special page created just for Selling From the Heart listeners at joejacobi.com/sfth.
 

Learn more about Darrell and Larry:  

➡️Darrell's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellamy/

➡️Larry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrylevine1992/

➡️Website: https://www.sellingfromtheheart.net
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Explore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast—nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!

Listen to Larry Levine’s Bestselling Book — Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  

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