The Keys to Intrinsic Motivation

The Keys to Intrinsic Motivation

How we can stop waiting for external factors to kick us into high gear and find the power within to push us towards our goals.

EPISODE QUOTE:

“Those that know this is a calling and believe so deeply in what we’re doing, and the communities they are building, and the people that they are literally changing are the ones that are going to come out of this. If you survive, you win. But it is not easy to survive.” — Helaine Knapp

GUEST BIO:

Helaine Knapp is the founder of CityRow, an in-studio and at-home rowing experience that is exploding all over the country. An expert in intrinsic motivation, Helaine realized that the only workout that matters is the one you actually complete, so she built the power of choice, motivation and accountability into CityRow— with incredible results.

Prior to launching CityRow, Helaine worked in media and participated in two high-profile tech company sales: Buddy Media’s $800M sale to Salesforce.com and Olapic’s $120M sale to Monotype. A longtime proponent of group fitness, Helaine launched CityRow six years ago and it now operates 20 studios with over 60 planned nationwide while also helping innovate the in-home, on-demand rowing fitness space.

Learn more about Helaine & CityRow:

CityRowHelaine’s LinkedInForbes Profile on Helaine

OPENING MONOLOGUE:

After spending years climbing the corporate ladder, Helaine Knapp left the world of publishing for startup life. Group fitness was her outlet, and after a major physical setback, Helaine persevered and went on to found CityRow, an in-studio rowing fitness experience that has scaled massively across the United States, both in-studio and in people’s homes. Helaine has been featured as a business leader and wellness expert on Today, Women’s Health, ABC, Vogue, Yahoo! Finance and People, and she’s done it all by unlocking the power of her intrinsic motivation— and helping others unlock their own.

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[8:02] Getting Tactical About Innovation

Innovative thinking doesn’t just happen. You need to create the space and environment for it.

How often do you take time out from the day-to-day emails and to-do lists and reset your priorities? Innovative thinking won’t make time for itself. You have to make time for it and dedicate your mind and the resources of your team to fostering that innovation even when it seems like you’re drowning in the day-to-day.

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[14:39] Ideas Are Hard. Bringing Them to Life is Harder

How do you have the courage to execute on ideas?

The idea-generating process is the fun part. But how do you execute on that idea? The key is to move one decision at a time. Don’t focus all your energy on your massive, ten-year, multibillion-dollar point on the distant horizon. Focus on what needs to happen today and go from there.

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[21:00] How Do You Know You’re Doing What You Love?

Gauging how you feel about the way you spend your days

Each day take stock of what you’re doing and how you feel about what you’re doing. Sometimes you can like something that is also draining of your energy. Find out where everything sits in relation to whether you love it, hate it, or tolerate it, then adapt your life and career to add more to the buckets you love and remove things from the buckets you hate or only tolerate.

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[26:19] What’s Your Why?

Helaine explores why she does what she does so well

If you’re going to jump into something vulnerable like entrepreneurship for money, fame, or a title, you’re going to lose your way. For Helaine, the goal was to help people move their bodies in a better, smarter way for lifelong health. Your personal ‘why’ may be something different, but you have to begin the journey of finding it now— not simply wait for it to show up somewhere along the way.

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[37:17] From Job to Career

Exploring the most difficult leap in professional life

Wondering how you can find a career that could turn into a calling? Get to know yourself first. Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Be real with yourself. Then use that to shape the way you spend your days. Get a sense for who you are, and you’ll end up with a sense of what you’re meant to do.

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[42:31] The Core Tenets of CityRow

Helaine talks about why guiding principles are so important in life and business

At CityRow, Helaine believes in following a set of core tenets that lead her and everyone at the company. They include accessibility, scalability, and a culture that makes people proud to work there. If you’re leading a team, an organization, or simply your own personal mission, identify your core tenets. Get clear and explicit about what they are. Then use them to guide you forward.

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[50:08] Double Down on Strengths or Correct Weaknesses?

There’s no right answer, only the right answer for you

It’s a time-honored question: is it better to home in on our strengths and help them power us or work on our weaknesses to fill out our capabilities? Helaine believes in a hybrid approach, which involves doubling down on strengths but also surrounding ourselves with people who are strong where we’re weak, effectively filling those gaps with the skills of others. But to do this takes awareness. Take the time to identify your own strengths and weaknesses, even if it may be uncomfortable at first.

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[53:57] Helaine’s Final Thoughts

The queen of rowing’s take on the topic of optimizing for happiness

Sometimes the simplest answers are the truest. Helaine’s advice: do what makes you happy. Discover your strengths, find your intrinsic motivation, and pursue the things you’re truly passionate about. Life’s too short to do anything else.

RESOURCES:

[00:28] Purpose Labs[01:10] CityRow[25:21] Inc Magazine Article on Helaine & CityRow[41:15] Good to Great and Built to Last, by Jim Collins[46:05]Brené Brown[56:10] High-Performance Team Scorecard

MAKE A PLAY:

Let’s score where we stand on our purpose, choice, progress, and impact. This scorecard can be downloaded at www.PowerOfPlayingOffense.com. Scroll to Book Resources and click on the High-Performance Team Scorecard. This will serve as your guide for today, the next 30 days, and beyond. You’ll be able to pinpoint exactly how effectively you’re pursuing your true purpose, sense of choice, personal and professional progress, and the positive impact you’re making on the world. It’s a great way of taking action on the goals that matter most to you.  

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ABOUT THE HOST:

Paul Epstein may not be a hard charging running back on the actual football field, but his list of high-profile wins in the world of sports will have you thinking that he could be.

Paul has spent nearly 15 years as a pro sports executive for multiple NFL and NBA teams, a global sports agency, and the NFL league office. He’s transformed numerous NBA teams from the absolute bottom in league revenue to top-two in financial performance. He’s broken every premium revenue metric in Super Bowl history as the NFL’s sales leader. He’s opened a billion-dollar stadium, helped save the New Orleans NBA franchise, and founded the San Francisco 49ers Talent Academy.

He's since installed his leadership and high-performance playbook with Fortune 500 leaders, Founders and CEOs, MBAs, and professional athletes.

Now, as Founder of Purpose Labs, keynote speaker and host of the Playmakers: Impact Unleashed podcast, Paul explores how living and working with a focus on leadership, culture, and purpose can transform organizations and individuals anywhere to unleash their full potential.

Learn more about Paul at: PaulEpsteinSpeaks.comPre-Order Paul’s new book The Power of Playing Offense

CREDITS:

Paul Epstein: Host | [email protected] Trombley: Executive Producer | [email protected]