What a validating season for the Kansas City Royals. There was excitement, growth and lessons to be learned. Not to mention, they made history as the first baseball team to lose 106 games in one season and make it to the playoffs the next. Seeing them return to the postseason for the first time since 2015 was special. They may have lost in the second round to the New York Yankees, but a packed Kauffman Stadium and playoff ball at “The K” was true validation for fans and players alike, inside and Out of the Park.

Validation in entrepreneurship can be a hard thing to come by, especially when so many on that path take such indirect ways of getting there. In some instances, whatever it is a person is doing now simply didn’t use to exist. Other times, people realize that the thing they thought the wanted wasn’t it after all. Miriam Schulman is a little bit of both.

This season, the Kansas City Royals shocked the baseball world by becoming the first team ever in MLB history to make the playoffs a year after losing 106 games. The champagne celebration in Atlanta may have signified the end of a nine-year playoff drought for the Royals. But it was also a testament to everything you can achieve by thinking big…inside and Out of the Park. 

Have you ever noticed how the big picture of sports is always about more than a game? Whether you played sports or not, they teach lessons like nothing else can. Stu Crum was a recent guest on my podcast, a dynamic leader and former college football pro who aimed high to achieve soaring international success.

Changing teams the way baseball players do may not be as common in the “real world”. But come the trade deadline, it’s on the mind of most MLB players, whether for their own livelihood, that of their friends or the competitiveness of their current team. No matter what line of work you are in, changing teams is one we all know - and will never forget - inside and Out of the Park. 

Teams are powerful constructs. In a recent episode of Rounding the Bases, I was joined by a kindred spirit named Dan James. To teams around the world, he’s known for coaching the most success-driven individuals to exceptional results. First as a history-making wheelchair tennis coach, and now as the founder of Story 19 Consulting. Changing careers may have meant changing teams, but the result has always been the same: Inspired and innovative, with maximum impact. 

I’m lucky to get to live my dream six to seven days a week, traveling the country and talking about baseball. Win or lose, I always feel fortunate to get to do this for work. But regardless of how the team has been playing, the grueling 162-game schedule will inevitably lead to burnout. As we head into the final ten weeks - or more - of the season, I find myself more energetic than I have been in years, all thanks to simple acts of self care inside and Out of the Park.

Finding balance between work and life is a universal struggle. During a recent interview on my podcast Rounding the Bases, I was joined by someone who - like me - spent his career in sports. What struck me the most were the steps he took to find his own balance. They would be dramatic for anyone, but especially someone at the height of a star-powered career.

I always tell attendees of my speaking engagements not to measure their achievements by the same numbers that make baseball hitters successful. In the big leagues, a favorable result 30 percent of the time could easily lead to an All-Star season. In business, the same performance would be considered dismal.

I’ve spent nearly three decades in the sports broadcasting game. During that time, I’ve witnessed the evolution of so much: stadiums, team names…even the game of baseball itself. Some changes have been for the better, others not so much. But despite the ebbs and flows of progress, one area that continues to improve is a level of self-awareness in leadership that didn’t previously exist.

Change and mindset go hand in hand. As humans, we crave the feelings of security that comes from routine, even if change is the key to our own growth. But the truth is…change is hard. Framing it correctly makes coping easier.