#43: Premiere Sports Agent and Best Selling Author Leigh Steinberg – Why You Need to Practice Being More Present

In this episode, Darren Reinke chats with Leigh Steinberg, a premiere sports agent, author, and philanthropist. Leigh discusses the skillsets learned from negotiating with Ronald Reagan, his journey to becoming a successful sports agents, the importance of strong values, and why you should go to a planetarium if you need perspective.

During his 41-year career, Leigh Steinberg has represented over 300 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, boxing, and Olympic sports. He has represented the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a record eight times and is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the sports agent in Cameron Crowe's film Jerry Maguire.

 Show Notes:

• What Leigh was passionate about growing up in Los Angeles [1:09]
• What drew Leigh to attend UC Berkeley over UCLA [3:01]
• What Leigh learned from negotiating against Ronald Reagan [4:32]
• Why learning how to listen is the key to developing trust [6:44]
• The difficult lessons Leigh learned that helped him become fully present [10:28]
• The practical steps Leigh takes to understand the finiteness of life [15:00]
• How Leigh sharpened his skillsets when first becoming a sports agent [16:10]
• The techniques Leigh uses to help athletes develop their own brands [20:14]
• How Leigh evaluates clients to determine their viability as a brand [23:13]
• How social media has impacted Leigh’s clients and their brands [26:24]
• How athletes’ brands have changed over the years and how Leigh helps coach life after athletics [27:48]
• How Leigh continues to live out his father’s strong values [33:48]
• What’s next for Leigh [38:45]