Buddy Biancalana, former MLB player, Mind-Body Coach, and Author

Buddy Biancalana is one of approximately 1,600 players that have been drafted in the first round since the draft began in 1965. With the weight of expectations, pressure to perform, and the demands of being a professional athlete, Buddy quickly rose through the Kansas City Royals minor league system - from Rookie League to the Major Leagues - in five years.  As a part-time player, Buddy was what the baseball world calls a "good field-no hit" player, playing the demanding shortstop position. Then, late in the 1985 season, Royals manager Dick Howser inserted him in the lineup late in the year, and he played the best baseball of his life. He was a key contributor in helping the Royals win their first World Series.  As he shares in our conversation, the pressure of the World Series was immense. Literally, the entire world was watching. Yet, as you'll hear, Buddy says he was as calm as he'd ever been. And he played flawless defense and hit better than he'd ever hit before. Later, he realized that he'd had an "In the zone" experience.  This experience, along with a childhood incident that Buddy shares in our conversation, led him to begin to study the brain-body connection. Now, as the founder of Zone Motion, he helps athletes and executives have "in the zone" experiences in a more intentional way, rather than by chance.  You can buy Buddy's book, The 7 Secrets of World Class Athletes, here.  *** You can contact Robin Green at [email protected]. *** If you like this podcast, you may also like Robin's weekly leadership newsletter, The Huddle. Join the growing number of subscribers (it's free), including leaders from business, education, and athletics. You can subscribe here.