I know I need to execute on this command. There's also a link to shoot me an email with any suggestions for the show, or any ideas you've got at all. If you enjoy this podcast, we encourage you to subscribe to it, share it, and give us a review. And just take a breath. Peloton founder John Foley stepped down from his CEO role on Feb. 8 following a tumultuous period for the connected fitness company. Jeff:Yeah. The Blue Angels travel at speeds between 120 mph and 700 mph. I've recreated my whole career two decades ago. Never will because of the nuances in it. That's what's really interesting about, really the military as a whole, but definitely the Blue Angels, is we just keep raising the bar. A practical model for living out his message that works in other organizations as well as within the Blue Angels. I had that. Because think about when you're teaching someone to climb. I said, I don't need to be an airline pilot. Boom. I think the first thing, Erik, that I've learned over time is I like to say there's two beliefs. Think about it in your own life. Yeah. And it's different. Sometimes I'm a little bit ahead, sometimes a little bit behind, but I'm talking inches instead of feet. I never met him, but he was a huge mentor. I get better at focusing my mind, knowing that I'm not perfect. John Foley:Yeah. I'm going to be proactive. John Foley:Right. As a Blue Angel, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart. I'll never forget the radio call. In fact, by the way, the College Football Championship's tonight. The Navy's really good about debriefs, and the LSO, landing signal officer, walked in that day and he goes, it was very clear, he goes, Gucci, Gucci's my call sign. John Foley:It wasn't about calling out somebody yet. 14K views, 488 likes, 72 loves, 29 comments, 149 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Blue Angels Association: John Foley, #5, USN (Ret.) As a Blue Angel, Foley consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart. It's moving away from you. How exactly did guest John Foley become a Blue Angel and what was his motivation? So, they've proven that. John Foley:I think that's important in anything we're learning. I could do that. I was expecting it. Erik Weihenmayer:I just imagine that the heart piece might almost get in the way. We learned how to do this without anybody ever teaching it to us. I don't think I ever said to my colleague, I love you, on the Blue Angels, but they knew it. We're doing a mile every nine seconds. I want a learning loop. Do you sort of put a flavor of that pocket into your personal practice as well as the way you teach it? I mean, there are people who can teach breathing and meditation effectively, that have been doing it for years and years. I'm actually seeing things in frames. I'm grateful to be in this moment. They can't do it forever. Yeah. I'm not good enough. Foley would enjoy a three year tenure with the Blue Angels that would see him progress from the teams narrator to a position in the demonstration as a solo pilot. I wasn't even thinking about this, but I was kind of flirting with this idea of, being in the military, being a blue angel, I could imagine that your heart gets left behind because you have to be perfect. Blue Angels' John "Gucci" Foley. Based on his Blue Angels experience, John truly understands the how of high performing teams and he readily applies his knowledge to his keynotes and his consulting practice. It wasn't the physical side. John Foley:It's actually really cool because the ECS, the environmental control system, it almost feels like a vacuum. Plus, he admitted the origin of his call sign "Gucci," helping out on the original "Top Gun," and some of the . I think what you're describing, because I felt that so many times too, is the result of the focus. You're upside down, you're rolling. Because I'm not trying to teach people to be a Blue Angel pilot. Our audience, our community is going to be so impacted by everything you've said, and your life's work, as it's been encompassed in this conversation today. John Foley:See, that's a big difference. John Foley:Yeah. Not one to quit, he attended University of Colorado for his freshman year of college before successfully transferring to the United States Naval Academy where he graduated in 1982. Access to NAS Pensacola is limited to Department of Defense (DoD) ID card holders (active duty service members, retirees, and their families). I think it's a blessing to have parents, and my mom too, in a different way, but they taught me integrity, and just trying stuff, not to be afraid to fail. Music. Jeff:I know. Upon returning from the Persian Gulf, Foley transferred to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101) based in El Toro, California, where he served as an F/A-18 Hornet flight instructor pilot and landing signal officer. John Foley -Blue Angel. John Foley is a former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, Sloan Fellow at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, leadership expert, speaker and Gratitude Guru. These are great athletes, right? Honestly, JB. Yeah, I lived through some, and here I am, and now I'm really grateful to be present, but there's more to it than that. Now you have breakthrough performance. AI was so excited, and I know that's probably super annoying to have to talk to people's family members because you only have a little bit amount of time and you John Foley:Actually, Erik, not to interrupt you that made my whole day. What was that like for you? Learning, and I was helping him in any way, shape I could, but that exposure, I probably got 10 years of knowledge in six months based on having that. The fifth and sixth jet fly in solo formation. It doesn't have to be this intense stuff that the three of us are doing. I flew at 500 miles per hour in formations nearly 18" | 18 comments on LinkedIn I want to know first off, are they even aware? What separates the best of the best and makes for elite teams? I can't teach climbing right now. 500 mph with former Blue Angels pilot John Foley 00:00 01:06:31 about the episode Happy 2022 everyone. It was during these deployments that Foley received the Top Nugget Award for first-tour pilots in Carrier Air Wing Eleven, and was also recognized as one of the Top 10 of all air wing pilots. I was supposed to deploy on the midway, which was a four deployed carrier. John Foley Inc. and The Glad To Be Here Foundation asked where $10,000 could help others in a direct and imminent way during the pandemic. I remember my daytime went well. Even if Alabama is a better, let's say team, proven by the earlier performance, the chances of repeating that are so hard at this level. It didn't mean I didn't question myself in between. John Foley:I just said, holy cow, I can do this because it's a value to others. I'm scared all the time. John Foley:It makes a big difference. Either you step up to that challenge, okay? Welcome to our No Barriers podcast. By visiting Now, do I get it perfect? John "Gucci" Foley, a U.S. Navy aviator and Blue Angels pilot, John "unpacks" the special mindset and practical framework for achieving High Performance and sustaining a true Culture of Excellence. I've spoken to all three, both teams and the officials. I don't have those all the time. It's not even in your control. He drives home his message with dynamic videos of his adrenaline-pumping performance with the Blue Angels. I know Erik, you don't always see this, okay. This isn't working. Every organization depends upon the performance of their people and their teams. You feel yourself start to constrict, and your mind starts to get into this flight or fight mode, which is what we're trained to do. John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per If we back up to your adolescence and you started your training, and someone would've told you you're going to be a Blue Angel when you were like 20-years-old, you would've been obviously happy, but would that have been believable or were you just, in your mind, fast tracking and you knew exactly where you were going and how you were going to get there? If they're aware, usually it's usually like, they're just not aware. Be sure to subscribe so you dont miss a single episode of this free, educational and uplifting podcast. John Foley was a solo pilot for the Blue Angels aerobatic formation, a Sloan Fellow at the Stanford School of Business, a Gratitude Guru, and an expert on "how to" in high performing teams. And they've got a great program too. I'm not qualified. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. I think we're getting to the essence again, of what we do and why we do it. Not that I was out of parameters that I didn't clear. Our first conversation of the new year is with a former navy jet pilot. I think about you guys, when you decided, I want to climb, something clicked in my heart. No kidding, 300%. B, that it's out of parameters, so you get to decide as an organization what's in parameters and what's out. Erik Weihenmayer:Yeah, for sure. So, I was thinking of the bigger picture of the flying. Just what we're doing right here. Erik Weihenmayer:I could sense my breath. I'm grateful to be healthy. That stuff completely leaves your mind and you're right into the task. They say like, "I put in six years, but it was the best six years of my life in certain ways." I'm going to actually have a voice command and I'll actually move. Then, what can I find that I can appreciate at that moment? I get that. With what you just said, what I generate the most fulfillment and happiness in my life is not that I physically climb the mountains anymore or fly the jets, it's that I can share that in a way that benefits others. An 18 year journey that began after a visit to an airshow as a young boy peaked when he was selected to join elite Blue Angels squadron. It was in Newport, Rhode Island place called Kwanzaa Point. But I spent six months working for three for that individual learning the business. The departure of Foley, who led the company since its. There are few examples where this is more dramatically demonstrated than with the Blue Angels. So, we have the rotation that's planned. Maybe we as humans sort of divide those. Special thanks to The Dan Ryan Band for our intro song, Guidance. I'm excited about it. An 18 year journey that began after a visit to an airshow as a young boy peaked when he was selected to join elite Blue Angels squadron. I liked it. ", - John Foley, Former Lead Solo Pilot, Blue Angels. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link, or continuing to browse this site, you agree to this use. I'm okay with being scared. Foley eventually got swept up in the dot-com boom, which had spread to Los Angeles from San Francisco. See, that's more important to me because I want to know if they're aware. To me, that's operating from a fear based mentality, as compared to, wait a minute. I mean, I do fly for fun, but it's no big deal. Whoever's the leader got to speak first. Show notes can be found at nobarrierspodcast.com. John Foley:To me, a liberating belief is where that opportunity. I didn't realize what I realize now, how powerful that really was. I mean, clearly, you know what I want to do, I want to sit around a campfire with you and sip on just a little snifter of some good bourbon sometime. Full stick deflection, roll, ready, hit it, roll. I think the challenge tonight is that Georgia got their asses handed to them by Alabama, right? By the way, I don't know if you guys have built any yet, but we're starting to build a digital course, so I'm glad to be here in gratitude. You're just to land the jet, and then, it's a definitely step by step approach and lots of hours go into it. So, I went heli-skiing yesterday. I feel like when I'm in the middle of a code, I pull my heart away. There's a lot of emotion in there. John Foley:But what's interesting is that if you expand that time out, because in between each maneuver, we have communication. There's fundamentals that work like breathwork, like my morning routine, what do I do when I wake up in the morning? As a Blue Angel, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart.