Faith-Driven Leadership
Lori Krueger is an executive coach and Associate Partner with Novus Global who works with elite athletes, coaches, and leaders across professional sports to elevate leadership, strengthen culture, and expand what’s possible for individuals and teams.
She has partnered with Olympians, World Cup champions, Grand Slam champions, and professional athletes across the NFL, NBA, and NHL. In 2013, Lori launched chaplaincy across the National Women’s Soccer League, establishing a framework that continues to support players and staff across the league today. She currently serves as Chaplain for the United States Women’s National Soccer Team and the Kansas City Current.
A former collegiate soccer player at Indiana Wesleyan University, Lori holds a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in Kinesiology from Kansas State University. Through her coaching with Novus Global, she equips athletes and leaders to clarify vision, build strong cultures, and produce extraordinary results through Meta Performance™.
Lori lives in Kansas with her husband Matt. They have been married for 28 years and have two adult children and a beloved Maltipoo.
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-Transcript-
Brad Burrow (00:00:01):
Welcome to In A World With Real Media. I’m your host, Brad Burrow. In this podcast, we’ll dive into the lives of the most successful people in business. We’ll learn how they overcame adversity, took advantage of opportunities, and learned from their experiences. Learn from our experts. Get inspired. Then go live your story. It’s in a world with real media. Hello and welcome to the In a World with Real Media Podcast. I’m your host, Brad Burrow, and today I have a very special guest. Her name is Lori Krueger. She is an executive coach and a speaker at Novus Global and the chaplain for the Kansas City Current, among other things. So I’m really excited to have Lori on today. Lori, thanks for joining us. This is really cool. I’m going to tell everybody we met at a UBN meeting. Yeah, you were
Lori Krueger (00:00:57):
Sitting
Brad Burrow (00:00:57):
Next to me. I’m conventional.
Lori Krueger (00:00:58):
Maybe you were sitting one over. That’s right.
Brad Burrow (00:01:01):
My mind just shut off there for a second, but we met at this meeting. Yes. I got invited to the meeting and it’s funny how God works. It’s like he orchestrates things like that. So he’s set by the right person at the right time. I had no idea going in who I would meet or anything, but I was really excited to do it. We’re now working with them on creating content and stuff, but that was the fun day, wasn’t it? Do you remember that
Lori Krueger (00:01:21):
Day? Yes. My word for the year is expectant. So I’m always going, Lord, who do you have for me to meet? I’m just expectant of new opportunities and new people. And it is fun when you show up and you think you’re expecting one thing, and then you walk away, you’re like, oh, I have a new friend.
Brad Burrow (00:01:39):
Yeah, yeah. Yeah,
Lori Krueger (00:01:40):
That’s
Brad Burrow (00:01:40):
Awesome. That’s funny. So we’ll get into the word of the day.
Lori Krueger (00:01:43):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:01:44):
So I have it written on my computer. I just tell you this real quick
Lori Krueger (00:01:46):
Is
Brad Burrow (00:01:47):
No doubt.
Lori Krueger (00:01:47):
Ooh, I love that. No
Brad Burrow (00:01:48):
Doubt. So two words, but-
Lori Krueger (00:01:50):
Yeah, I actually have two words too. I’ve been doing it for a long time. I usually have one, but I do have two, but we can talk
Brad Burrow (00:01:55):
About that later. But yeah, I think God’s been teaching me that it’s like stop doubting. Because doubt kills faith, right? That’s right. So I have it right on my computer. I have to look at it every day. It’s like, no doubt, no doubt. It reminds me of the old band. Remember the band, no doubt? Yeah,
Lori Krueger (00:02:11):
Because the enemy would love to sew seeds of doubt. Yeah. I mean, when you think all the scripture, that’s when the fall was, did God really say that? Yeah. I mean, doubt is from the enemy. So I love that you’re anchoring into faith this year.
Brad Burrow (00:02:24):
And it’s so easy to get into that negative space. I felt like one of the things that I think as a creative person, and I work a lot on emotion. I’ve been given the ability to feel things. I can feel if it’s right or not. That’s also a susceptibility. And so
Lori Krueger (00:02:44):
It’s
Brad Burrow (00:02:45):
Real easy to doubt what you’re feeling. And so I think God is teaching me, it’s like, don’t doubt, believe, trust, believe what I say is true and stand on that.
Lori Krueger (00:02:58):
So
Brad Burrow (00:02:58):
It’s really hard to do sometimes.
Lori Krueger (00:03:00):
Yep. And that’s the distinction of noticing, oh, this is the emotion that I’m feeling. What’s underneath? What’s the belief that’s propping up that emotion? And then checking, oh, is this belief true? Is this how God sees me? Is this how he wants me to see the world? I love that you’re onto that. Yeah, because the enemy does not want you to have faith. He for sure wants you to doubt.
Brad Burrow (00:03:21):
Oh yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:03:21):
Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:03:22):
No doubt about it. And so we’re already going a different direction than I thought, but this is awesome. So one of the things that, as a chaplain for sports team, that’s got to be a theme, right? I mean, because you’re on the level of professional sports for the Casey Current.
Lori Krueger (00:03:38):
Yep. And also, I don’t know if you know this, but I also serve the US Women’s National Team. I’m their chaplain as well.
Brad Burrow (00:03:44):
Amazing.
Lori Krueger (00:03:45):
Amazing. People who are at the very best at the very top of their game.
Brad Burrow (00:03:49):
And do these ladies doubt?
Lori Krueger (00:03:51):
They do. Yeah. They are humans. They are humans, which is why anchoring into the word of God and anchoring into truth of, “Hey, this is who God says I am. This is my identity. It’s secure.” Galatians two, right? This is Christ in me at work, can create a lot of freedom in how they show up in these competitive environments because their identity, like
(00:04:19):
What I’m hoping, what I’m serving them is like we get their identity settled, right? This is who I am in Christ. This is what he’s positioned me to do. These are the kingdom assignments that have been laid out, that have been set aside before I took my first breath. And so when those moments of doubt, just reminding themselves, “Oh, this is what God says about me. This is who I am in Christ. This is a kingdom assignment for me. ” And when they show up that way, then they get to play in freedom and have being anchored in faith. So it is a game changer.
Brad Burrow (00:04:50):
Yeah. So you stop thinking at that point because you believe in what you are and you sound like Yoda.
Lori Krueger (00:04:56):
Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:04:57):
Don’t think, but do. But that’s kind of the idea, right? It’s like, I know who I am in Christ. Yes. I’m going to go out and do my thing. I’m not going to worry about what anybody else thinks about
Lori Krueger (00:05:05):
It. That’s right. That’s right. The audience of one, right? Playing for the approval, not of man, but of God. And you already have his approval. It’s settled. He loves you. He delights in you. He is for you. He’s positioned you. He’s anointed and appointed you. And when we can play and compete from that grounded space of being anchored, tethered to his word, tethered to who he says you are, it unlocks a different level of freedom for the athletes.
Brad Burrow (00:05:34):
Yeah. I bet you’ve seen some light bulbs come on
Lori Krueger (00:05:37):
Probably. I
Brad Burrow (00:05:37):
Mean, because the people you’re working with are at different levels or
Lori Krueger (00:05:40):
Maybe
Brad Burrow (00:05:41):
No level of faith.
Lori Krueger (00:05:43):
Yeah, 100%. How do
Brad Burrow (00:05:43):
You handle that? I mean, it’s like you got to have
Lori Krueger (00:05:46):
Discernment
Brad Burrow (00:05:47):
To know.
Lori Krueger (00:05:47):
It is true. That’s a good word. What I try to model is when I look in scripture and I see how Jesus interacted with people, his first step towards people was always with grace. So it’s that first step, grace, relationship, taking the time to see people. I’m thinking about the woman who Jesus was on his way to go heal. I think it was Jerius’s child and the woman grabs his … If I could just … And one touch from you, Lord, and he stops and he was like, who touched me? I felt the power go out from me. And in that, it just shows me that when Jesus serves people, it’s the one. There might be a crowd. And so just me being really intentional, who’s the one person that’s in front of me right now that needs to be seen, that needs to be served, that needs to be love.
(00:06:43):
Faith, no faith. It’s just because they’re made in the image of God, they’re worthy to be seen and served. Yeah. So yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:06:50):
Yeah. That’s the one. Aren’t you thankful that Jesus is that way?
Lori Krueger (00:06:54):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:06:55):
It’s hard to comprehend, honestly.
Lori Krueger (00:06:57):
It is. I mean, you think about how
Brad Burrow (00:06:58):
Many people are in the world and, but yet he wants a relationship with me.
Lori Krueger (00:07:02):
Yes. And not only a relationship, but he delights in you. He knows the amount of hairs on your head. He’s intimately-
Brad Burrow (00:07:12):
A lot less on mine.
Lori Krueger (00:07:13):
Yeah. Well, you know what? Mind spinning as well.
Brad Burrow (00:07:17):
Sorry.
Lori Krueger (00:07:17):
Yeah. No.
Brad Burrow (00:07:18):
I can’t help butch. Yeah. But yeah, that’s right. He does. He knows us. And that’s a hard thing to understand.
Lori Krueger (00:07:25):
I know.
Brad Burrow (00:07:25):
Maybe we’ll understand that someday.
Lori Krueger (00:07:27):
I know. Often when I’m flying in an airplane, I will look down and you know all those people too. It’s wild. Yeah. It is wild when you think of how the magnitude of God yet how personal he is. Sometimes in my mind, I can’t exactly wrap my mind around it.
Brad Burrow (00:07:47):
I don’t think anybody can, honestly. Yeah. So tell me about your background. Where did you grow up? Are you from Indiana?
Lori Krueger (00:07:54):
I am not from Indiana. Okay. So I grew up in a very small community in Eastern Canada called Wakefield, New Brunswick. And if you looked it up on a map, I think there might be 1500 people who would live in- Is that right? Right. No. The town … So I grew up 15 minutes outside of town and at that time we didn’t even have a stoplight. It was just a yellow flashing light. I say because Canadians, we try to be kind. So we’re like, “No, no, no, you go, you go.
Brad Burrow (00:08:22):
” You don’t sound Canadian
Lori Krueger (00:08:23):
To me. Well, I’ve been in the state since 1992. Okay. So when I- It was
Brad Burrow (00:08:28):
Assimilated to
Lori Krueger (00:08:29):
A US
Brad Burrow (00:08:29):
Accent.
Lori Krueger (00:08:30):
Yes. When I came to college, I got made fun of a ton of about the OU, those words- Yes. Is it
Brad Burrow (00:08:38):
Like a … Yeah, say O?
Lori Krueger (00:08:40):
Yes. Yeah. About or A, I used to say that a lot. And so once you get made fun of several times, but yeah, I’ve been here since 1992. So
Brad Burrow (00:08:50):
What was your family like growing up? Did you grow up in a faith-based family?
Lori Krueger (00:08:54):
I did. So my grandfather on my dad’s side was a minister. And then my grandparents on my mother’s side, grandpa, he just passed away last year. He was 104, was a deacon in the church. Wow. My grandma is still doing well. She’s 98 and she is a Bible teacher. If you talk to her, the word of God just is flowing from- Maybe we
Brad Burrow (00:09:16):
Should get her
Lori Krueger (00:09:16):
On the
Brad Burrow (00:09:17):
Podcast.
Lori Krueger (00:09:18):
I would love it. Grammy would crush it. So a few years ago, well, many years ago now, my mom, my grandmother and I did a session at a women’s retreat. So I went first and then my mom went second and then Grammy went third. And Graham had more scripture, not a single note. And I was like, okay. Yeah. The word is so active in her life and has transformed our family.
Brad Burrow (00:09:44):
Did people love her?
Lori Krueger (00:09:45):
Yes. I bet. They did. And I remember after the session was over, I was young. I was in my 20s at the time, so I’m feeling pretty good because I opened it up. It was a great, funny story. And she looked at me and she was like, “Lori, I was wondering when the story was going to be over. We got to get to the word of God.” I was like, “Okay, Grammy, I hear you. ” Starting with the word of God. Got it. She’s like, “Let’s get going. We need to
Brad Burrow (00:10:08):
Get to the good stuff, I guess.”
Lori Krueger (00:10:09):
Yep, that’s right. So yeah, grew up in a Christian home. Faith has always been a part of our family, gave my life to Christ at a very young age, baptized. When I was 16, had an encounter with Christ at a camp where I felt the Lord say, “You know a whole lot about me. ” I used to go to Iwana, so I knew tons of … I know quite a few scriptures and I found him say, “You know a lot about me, but you don’t really know me. ” And at 16, I was like, “Okay, well, I’m going to be in your word every single day.” And he would not let me go to sleep, even if it was just one verse of scripture, but really called me to be in his word to know what he’s saying. How am I going to know his character?
(00:10:49):
How am I going to follow him if I don’t know him? So that was transformational. Ended up going to a Christian university to play soccer, study pre-med, which is the Indiana part that you- Okay, gotcha. So I came to Anana Wesleyan, which is a wild story how I got there, but we played soccer there. And at the time I had no idea that soccer would be a part of my future. I’d grown up playing basketball and volleyball. I didn’t play soccer start until my senior year in high school and then end up getting recruited to go to Indiana Wesleyan and who knew? Well, of course the Lord did that soccer would be a part of my ministry in my 30s and my 40s and my 50s. All
Brad Burrow (00:11:26):
Part of the plan, huh?
Lori Krueger (00:11:28):
That’s amazing. It’s one thing when you’re in your 50s, you get to look back and you get to see, oh, I thought that was random, that experience. I thought meeting that person was random. And then the older I get, the more I see how intentional God has been writing and weaving my story right from the very beginning, it’s wild.
Brad Burrow (00:11:50):
Do you look back and find that you tried to overthink things sometimes and God was still like, “Okay, yeah, that’s great, but we’re going this direction.”
Lori Krueger (00:11:58):
Yeah, I wouldn’t describe myself as an overthinker. I kind of have been more of a-
Brad Burrow (00:12:05):
I am.
Lori Krueger (00:12:05):
… go with the flow. And not to say I don’t, I mean, I was overthinking yesterday with the proposal I was putting together and I said that out loud to my executive assistant. I go, “I’m clearly overthinking this. ” So there are moments that I do overthink, but as far as big plans in my life, I went to Indiana Wesleyan and I had never even stepped foot on the campus and my mom and I were flying down to register for classes. Oh, wow. I just had this piece of, this is where I’m supposed to be. So I think I maybe have a mixture of that. Some overthinking in the details, but in the larger scheme of things, he just has marked up my steps. He’s just been too good. He’s been too good. He’s been too faithful. I’m like, “Okay, I’m going to trust you even though this does not make sense to me at all.
Brad Burrow (00:12:54):
” So when did you realize that you might make faith a vocation? Obviously it’s been since you were 16 and earlier, obviously it sounds like, but when did you know, okay, this is something I’m going to do as a vocation?
Lori Krueger (00:13:08):
Yeah. Well, so just so that we’re clear, I actually, chaplaincy is all volunteer for me.
Brad Burrow (00:13:13):
Okay. So
Lori Krueger (00:13:14):
It’s not really a vocation. So it’s not really vocation, but it definitely is a calling.
Brad Burrow (00:13:17):
Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:13:18):
And I knew that it was going to be a calling in my life my senior year at Indiana Wesleyan on the floor of my dorm room, I had an encounter with Christ where I saw women being served, even though I do serve men as well, but just this calling of on my life, like this is going to be a part of your life’s work is going to be serving athletes. I didn’t know what it was going to look like, but when I think back, the very first time that I led a teammate to the Lord, I mean, I was in sixth grade, and now that woman grew up married a Christian man, her parents have come to Christ, she’s raised her kid- Changed the direction. Right. And so that was me as a 12 year old.
Brad Burrow (00:14:14):
Before you were even a Christian, it sounds like.
Lori Krueger (00:14:16):
Well, I was, I gave my life to Christ at eight when I was eight.
Brad Burrow (00:14:21):
Okay.
Lori Krueger (00:14:21):
I got you. But still very, very new in my faith, right? Yeah. So just seeing those seeds of, oh, somehow the Lord wants to use faith, intersect it with sport. So when I look back, I mean, that was sixth grade and then when I was in college, I was captain of the team. So I was leading Bible studies. It was a Christian university, so I was leading Bible studies with my team. But then in my 20s, I actually was a chaplain in the WNBA first.
Brad Burrow (00:14:49):
Tell me about that.
Lori Krueger (00:14:49):
That’s amazing.
(00:14:51):
Yeah. I got a phone call and this woman named Alice Simpson, who has been a mentor for me in the sports faith world, she called me and said, “I just was given your name. I’m looking for someone who loves Jesus, loves sports, loves serving women and- Check mark, check mark, check mark. Yes. And they gave me your name and I said, Alice, I don’t feel equipped. I’m 28.” And a lot of the WNBA, they would be my peers. And she said, “Well, take some time and pray about it. ” And as clear as day, just impress upon my heart, this is something that you’re supposed to do. And so I did that for a couple of seasons, would drive down to the Mohegan sun arena, have pregame chapel, watch the game, get in the car and drive home. And when we left from Connecticut to come to Kansas City 20 years ago, I said a simple prayer to the Lord.
(00:15:42):
I said, “I don’t think that went so well.” I think there’s more to sports ministry than that because I lived an hour from the team as far as building relationships was tricky. And so I said, “I don’t think that went so well. If there’s another team that you would have me serve, I’m your girl. Amen.” And so seven years pass and I’m doing … Have you ever heard of BSF Bible Study Fellowship? Yes, I have. So I was a BSF leader. I was serving in our local church. That’s a deep
Brad Burrow (00:16:11):
Dive,
Lori Krueger (00:16:12):
Isn’t it? Yeah. Yes. So I was doing that, serving the local church with women’s ministry, raising my babies to be young. It would have been an elementary school seven years later and I get another phone call and it was a gentleman who went to our church said I overheard some women talking about wanting to do Bible study on the newly formed FCC, which that’s what our team was called back in 2013. Before it was current,
(00:16:41):
Yeah. Yep. And he said, “Do you want to come and meet the woman that was talking about Bible study and see if it might be a fit for you to serve that team?” And so I drove to the soccer dome and I met this woman. I didn’t know who I was meeting and I said, “Do you want to do Bible study?” And she’s like, “I think that would be a great idea.” And so I get in the car, I drive home, I said to my husband, I go, “I don’t really know who I just met. I don’t know much about this athlete.” I go, “But she is a leader.” Just in that first meeting, I’m like, “That woman, she is a leader.” So little did I know I was meeting at the time, Lauren Cheney, now she’s Lauren Holiday, who was not only a leader on the FCC, she was a leader in the league and she was also a leader on the US Women’s National Team.
(00:17:29):
So that’s how that all- Wow. Yeah. Wild.
Brad Burrow (00:17:32):
That’s crazy.
Lori Krueger (00:17:33):
Yeah. And she’s become like family to our family. Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:17:37):
So we just recently had Danny Wilniak on
Lori Krueger (00:17:39):
A podcast
Brad Burrow (00:17:41):
Here
Lori Krueger (00:17:41):
For her. Yes. I just saw her at the home opener.
Brad Burrow (00:17:42):
Yeah. And I didn’t know at the time, she wasn’t on my podcast. It was another lady that does a podcast called Ken City Bucket List. And I did not know she was such a strong faith person, and that’s amazing. So do you work with her at the current …
Lori Krueger (00:17:59):
So since I’m a volunteer, I go in on game days. I also go out and have breakfast with the athletes either once a week or once every other week. Not a
Brad Burrow (00:18:08):
Job, but
Lori Krueger (00:18:09):
What a great thing. That’s awesome. So I mean, I see her on game days. I don’t work closely with her, but she is always light in the space.
Brad Burrow (00:18:18):
Well, it was funny because, so we’re doing a bunch of work for UBN, Unconventional Business Network, and her husband came in to do … They’re like a big sponsor of the Faith Incorporated event that’s happening, and he came in to do an on camera thing.
Lori Krueger (00:18:33):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:18:33):
I didn’t know who he was or anything, and he walks in, he goes, “Really, my wife should be doing this. ” And I go, “Oh yeah, who’s your wife?” And he goes, “Danny Wilniak.” I’m like, “What?” Really funny. But he’s like, “Yeah, she’s much better on camera than me. ” It was really funny, but they support faith initiative type stuff big time in Kansas City. So one of the questions I had, WNBA, current, you have a lot of different types of lifestyles and you have all kinds of different faith backgrounds. How do you approach that?
Lori Krueger (00:19:08):
Yeah. What I said at the beginning, the way of Jesus, just show up, how can I see and serve people? What does love require of me as a follower of Jesus? How do I love everyone really well so that their experience of-
Brad Burrow (00:19:24):
Love God and love people,
Lori Krueger (00:19:26):
Right? Yes. Sometimes I think we over complicate it. So this is fun. This just happened last week and it’s not in chaplaincy, but it’s in work. I was doing a two day training. The day before had gone okay. I mean, pretty good, but I was disappointed in a few things that I didn’t do as well as I wanted to.
Brad Burrow (00:19:47):
Constantly evaluating yourself
Lori Krueger (00:19:48):
Probably, right? That’s right. How can I be better and grow? And the next morning, my daughter sent me a text and it said, “Mom, I know that yesterday didn’t quite go the way that you had hoped, but who knows that you are in this room to be Jesus for these people? ” And I’m sure that even though that didn’t go well, I’m hoping that there’s someone in that room that will experience the love of Christ in you. And I love you and I’m so proud of you, heart, heart, heart. So that’s at the beginning of the morning.
Brad Burrow (00:20:19):
You’re getting teared up just talking about
Lori Krueger (00:20:21):
It. Yes. So by the end of the day, I have, and this is corporate America.
Brad Burrow (00:20:26):
Yeah, business.
Lori Krueger (00:20:27):
This is business, right? Yeah. At the end of the day, I have this conversation with this woman who I just sensed in my spirit, I’m going to ask her this question, you know when you have that. And I just said, I said, “Do you have any faith at all? ” And she looked at me kind of interesting and just said, “It’s complicated.” I said, “Okay, well, no problem, but if you were a person of faith, I would say to you in this moment, I think that the enemy is having some real estate in your brain based on some of the things that she was telling me. ” And then I get a text a couple of hours later and she said, “You have no idea. For six years, I’ve been wrestling with my relationship with the Lord and when you said, I think the enemy has having some real estate in my brain that I’m believing lies that are not true about me, it did something in my spirit.” And she said, “I didn’t know what to expect for this two day training, but reclaiming my faith in Christ wasn’t one of them.” And I just was like, “Lord, you are the best.” And so to answer your question, going in where there’s all sorts of different backgrounds and lifestyles, just show up and love people the way that we as followers of Jesus, how did we see him love people?
(00:21:45):
He stepped towards people. He saw them, he served them, he asked them really powerful questions and then he listened. And so that’s the way that I interact with different people with different lifestyles.
Brad Burrow (00:21:58):
Yeah. It’s really amazing. So you and I have talked about, I went on a quest life trip. And one of my takeaways from that, well, I had two, I’ll tell you both, but the first one is that ask God, what would you have me do today?
Lori Krueger (00:22:14):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:22:15):
And it seems so simple, but every morning we’d get up and have breakfast and then we’d go out on this 200 acre ranch and step outside of the fence and say, “Okay, Lord, what direction you want me to go today?” And I had some of the most incredible encounters with him and with nature and with animals. I’ve told you about some of those things, but had I not, if I had just went, “I’m going to go this direction. I’m going to go where I want to go, ” that might not have happened. So I feel like that was one of my big takeaways. The other one was God was telling me he’s like, “Love me and I’ll take care of everything
Lori Krueger (00:22:51):
Else.” It is true.
Brad Burrow (00:22:53):
It’s so hard. It’s like when you’re an entrepreneur in your business, you’re an entrepreneur too. I am. You feel like sports too, it’s like I need to assert my will over the people I’m playing against and that’s the entrepreneurial idea too. The idea of love me and I’ll take care of everything else is kind of opposite of what you kind of have ingrained in your soul as an entrepreneur.
Lori Krueger (00:23:19):
Yeah, as a hustler and let’s create opportunities. Yep. Yeah. It’s interesting that you say that because a year ago, if you look at the trajectory of my practice, you can see that there’s an inflection point where things really expanded and people will say to me, “What happened?” And when I trace it back, it is wild. What happened is I went and I spoke to 20 high school athletes at FCA in the morning before school. That was the business strategy, which is wild because I went, I spoke at FCA, one of the girls there went home to her father and said, “You got to meet this woman and she needs to come speak to your staff.” I thought to your staff. No, he invited me to speak to his network. Well, his network involves people for the Atlanta Braves and people at the Kansas City Royals and all sorts of people in his network.
(00:24:20):
And what stood out to me is if we’ll just show up to the spaces where the Lord’s inviting us to, whether it’s to FCA at Blue Valley North for 20 minutes to 20 kids, just show up and serve people and then be expectant. Actually, I just was showing up to serve people. I wasn’t like, “Oh, this is my business strategy.” But the Lord loves to use ordinary just moments where we just serve people and he’ll be like, “Ha ha.” Just wait and see who I’m going to introduce you to. Because actually I think you might know him. Two weeks later, I’m having coffee with the CEO, he was the president of leader cast at that time, and that was from speaking to the high school students. And then he introduced me, and that’s actually how I’m speaking at UBN this fall, because he introduced me to that person.
(00:25:11):
So it all tracks back to just showing up and serving people, which- Isn’t
Brad Burrow (00:25:17):
That amazing?
Lori Krueger (00:25:18):
It is.
Brad Burrow (00:25:18):
It’s so foreign to me. It’s like, all right, take your hands off the wheel, let God actually drive. He’s got a better plan than you. And it’s taken me a long time, and I still don’t know that I’ve learned that lesson, honestly. I’m a doer and I’m going to go make things happen and that kind of thing. And he’s much better at it than me.
Lori Krueger (00:25:43):
It is true. And I love when you used to have that question, Lord, where do you want me to go today or what do you want me to do? Have you read that book, Living Fearless, a Jamie Winship? He asked two questions, Lord, what do you want me to know and what do you want me to do? Those are the two anchoring questions every time he goes into situations like, “What do you want me to know? What do you want me to do? ” And in our leadership coaching work, we say that the questions that we’re asking ourselves are they’re formative, right? They’re shaping who we’re becoming as leaders. So I love that that’s one of the questions. If you want to level up your leadership, one of the quickest ways is to level up or upgrade the level of questions that you’re asking yourself.
Brad Burrow (00:26:20):
Very interesting.
Lori Krueger (00:26:21):
It is interesting. And you just said it.
Brad Burrow (00:26:23):
Well, and I think it’s like breaking the pattern, excuse me, but the leaders used to … I don’t know, it felt like we had to have all the answers.
Lori Krueger (00:26:32):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:26:33):
Not that I’m calling myself a leader,
Lori Krueger (00:26:34):
But as a business-
Brad Burrow (00:26:35):
Don’t
Lori Krueger (00:26:36):
Drink back for
Brad Burrow (00:26:37):
Where God
Lori Krueger (00:26:37):
Has
Brad Burrow (00:26:37):
Positioned you. Yeah. Okay. But it’s like you get in, especially in sales, I don’t want to not have an answer to a question. Well, sometimes you don’t have all the answers. And in God’s mind, that’s the humble heart, right? It’s like I don’t have the answers. He has the answers. And that’s a shift of thinking that’s very hard when you’re type A personality. I mean, the athletes that you’re working with probably really struggle with that. I’m guessing.
Lori Krueger (00:27:04):
Yes, it is true. So I’ve been coaching. He’s an NHL goalie and I’ve been coaching him for a year and a half. When we first started working together, he’s a person of faith and he said that to me. He said, “I trust the Lord with my family, like my wife, my kids, my future.” He goes, “But I’m the one that has to stop the pucks.”
(00:27:24):
Anyway, let me get this straight. You are trusting the Lord to provide for your wife, your kids. You’re trusting him with your eternity, but you’re not trusting him to help you stop pucks? Okay. Interesting, interesting. Yeah. So part of our coaching work has been how integrating Christ in me, Galatians 2:10, like Christ in me is, this is how he has assigned me to this. This is a kingdom assignment for me. This is sacred work. I mean, he is sharing the gospel with his teammates, but I think when we realize that wherever we are placed, whether it’s on a sales team, whether it’s on a sports team, whether it’s running a media company, it is a kingdom assignment and it is holy sacred work that we are doing because we’re making the name of fame of Jesus known. We’re being light in love in these dark spaces where he’s placed us.
(00:28:20):
And I think the enemy wants us to be like, “Oh, that’s secular work. It doesn’t count.” It’s like, no, it’s Ephesians 2:10 work that we have good works that he’s prepared in advance for us to walk in. So according to the power that’s at work within us,
(00:28:36):
Not our own power, but the power that’s within us, the one that’s of power and love and self-control, not a fear or timidity. That’s not the spirit that we’re at work.
Brad Burrow (00:28:47):
Yeah. So I have to ask you, so you mentioned hockey, the USA and-
Lori Krueger (00:28:52):
Oh, don’t even give … No.
Brad Burrow (00:28:55):
How did you feel about that? Because you’re kind of on
Lori Krueger (00:28:57):
Both sides of the
Brad Burrow (00:28:57):
Fence now.
Lori Krueger (00:28:58):
I am. So when it does come to hockey, I do root for the Canadians and we were- It’s okay. Yes. We won’t
Brad Burrow (00:29:07):
Edit that out of the podcast. Okay. I promise.
Lori Krueger (00:29:09):
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. We were in Portland. Actually, we were in Portland visiting our friends who the chaplaincy started, which I don’t think I actually got to that part of the story, but that’s how chaplaincy got started. When I met that woman, Lauren, she and I built chaplaincy for the whole National Women’s Soccer League together.
Brad Burrow (00:29:27):
Awesome.
Lori Krueger (00:29:28):
But we were out there with visiting them the weekend of the Olympic final. So it was 5:00 AM the game started, so I started watching it until the third period and yeah, I was sad for our Canadians
Brad Burrow (00:29:41):
And
Lori Krueger (00:29:42):
Sydney Crosby, sad for him too.
Brad Burrow (00:29:44):
Yeah. So you’re a big hockey fan probably.
Lori Krueger (00:29:46):
So I have become, as a child I was, and then it wasn’t on TV a lot down here. Not that much. Yeah. But now I am coaching a couple of NHL athletes. How cool is that? And so now I watch I watch a good part of their games. I love.
Brad Burrow (00:30:02):
How did that happen? That’s pretty cool.
Lori Krueger (00:30:04):
Of coaching, NHL? Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:30:06):
Yeah. I mean, we’re just kind of spreading and …
Lori Krueger (00:30:08):
So I’m a part of a team. I’m on the Novus Global Sport team, so we have different divisions in our executive coaching firm. So there’s a Novus Global Sport Athletes and Teams, and then there’s Novus Global Leagues and Offices. So I’m on both of those divisions. Well, one of the reasons that I started working with the couple of NHLers that I am is because of my teammate who started coaching in the NHL 10 years ago. And so through referrals and introductions and trusting-
Brad Burrow (00:30:43):
Is Novus Global a faith-based organization?
Lori Krueger (00:30:45):
So if you went and looked up us on the website, you wouldn’t … No. We serve all people, but if you met many of the people, the coaches in the firm, a good percentage of … I mean, even our CEO, he used to be a pastor. He grew up in Kansas City.
Brad Burrow (00:31:05):
Is that right?
Lori Krueger (00:31:06):
Yes. So he used to be a pastor at our church. So there are a lot of people of faith in our community.
Brad Burrow (00:31:12):
That’s awesome.
Lori Krueger (00:31:12):
Yeah. Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:31:13):
That’s really cool. Talk about sports. We talked a lot about this already, but the challenges that an athlete has, you talked about with the goalie a little bit. It’s like, ” Well, I can give this much to God, but this I’m going to have to do on my own. “Do you see that kind of … Because anybody that’s at the level that you’re talking about has really achieved a lot and they’ve obviously got talent, they’ve got the will, the ability, the mental mindset to go win and do well, which kind of provides … I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain it, but I mean, that makes me think I can do it.
Lori Krueger (00:31:52):
Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:31:53):
That’s got to be a challenge.
Lori Krueger (00:31:55):
Yeah, it can be. It can be. It just depends where they’re anchored, where they’re rooted. A lot of the athletes that we have worked with over the years, they very much bring … And that’s part of our encouragement as chaplains. It’s like, we don’t leave the Lord in the pregame chapel room. He’s on the field with you. And when you look at scripture when he was like, ” Do not fear, why? Because I am with you. “So just that practical daily awareness of his presence, bringing that onto the pitch, bringing that into the locker room, bringing that onto the ice, whatever your field of surface of competition is, but bringing the … He’s there. So just make … We often pray that, Lord, make us aware of your presence in this match. You are with me. So yeah, it for sure is. I can be a wrestle of feeling like I have to do this on my own.
(00:32:56):
And the Lord’s like, ” I’m with you. “I don’t
Brad Burrow (00:33:00):
Know if you watched the world baseball classic. Did you watch any of that
Lori Krueger (00:33:03):
At all? Not much. We did go over to some friend’s house and we did watch the game last night. Did you
Brad Burrow (00:33:08):
Watch the end after the game was over?
Lori Krueger (00:33:10):
We did not. We left it at the seventh inning because I knew that this was happening this morning and I wanted to come home and get a good night’s day.
Brad Burrow (00:33:16):
Yeah. No. Well, the reason I say that is Venezuela won.
Lori Krueger (00:33:20):
Yes.
Brad Burrow (00:33:21):
And there’s a guy from Venezuela that plays for the Mariners, who one of my best friends is the hitting coach for the Mariners.
Lori Krueger (00:33:29):
Kevin Seitzer. That’s amazing. And
Brad Burrow (00:33:31):
He’s who led me and my wife to Christ.
Lori Krueger (00:33:33):
That’s incredible.
Brad Burrow (00:33:34):
He’s an incredible faith guy. We’ll go up to Seattle and see him this summer. So this guy plays on the Mariners and after they won, he just dropped his knees, held his hands up in the air and he got interviewed and he could not stop going about Jesus was with us. God was with us through this thing. This is the reason that we won. It was really, really amazing to see that happen. You’ll have to see, I bet you could probably see it out on YouTube or something like that, but him just, he couldn’t talk about the things that happened in the game. All he could talk about was that how great God was to be with them. And Venezuela’s been through a lot in the last, well, who knows how long, but all the stuff that’s been going on there. It was pretty cool to see that happen
Lori Krueger (00:34:24):
And
Brad Burrow (00:34:24):
See. So anyway, I thought you might be interested in that. Yeah. So let’s switch gears a little bit. I had a couple questions. One I mentioned to you earlier is like, what are some of the challenges that … Anytime you’re doing something for Christ, you’re going to have opposition. What are some of the challenges you’ve overcome?
Lori Krueger (00:34:45):
So I’ll say a challenge in the chaplaincy. So when you show up as a chaplain, only the Lord can open the door. So it is a complete faith walk right from the very beginning. It has been a faith walk. We have never known how it would happen on teams because you’re dependent on, is there a person of peace in there? Who knows whether you’re going to be welcome, not welcome. It has been a faith walk. And I remember one time earlier, back when it was FC Casey, the people of peace that were on the inside going, “Oh, we want you here.” Lauren had retired. The gentleman who had called me and said, “We overheard some people who wanted you to come in to meet you. ” He had left teams. And I remember thinking, “I have no person of peace in here. There’s no one in here who’s going to go, yeah, we’ll get your credentials.
(00:35:49):
We’ll help you get this started.” And so I remember driving up to the practice facility during preseason and sitting there and having those doubts, right? Having what you said you were having- No doubt. No doubt. Having those doubts of, “Oh, is this over?
(00:36:09):
Is the chaplaincy done here?” And I felt the Lord say, “Just get out of the car.” And very clear, very clear, “Just get out of the car.” I’m like, “Okay, I’m just going to get out of the car. What if I’m not welcome?” Just all of those doubts. Well, if you’re not welcome here anymore. Somebody
Brad Burrow (00:36:26):
Was talking
Lori Krueger (00:36:26):
To you, right? That’s right. That’s right. And so I walk up to the gate and there’s a woman who I had developed a relationship with me and immediately turned and went, “Lori, ran over, gave me a huge hug, pulled the team and went, everyone, this is Lori. She’s the team chaplain.” And then the assistant coach at the time came to me afterwards and said, “What can I do for you? What do you need this season? Do you want to come for lunch so you can meet the rookies?” And I remember that moment. Yes. And I remember that moment of there will be moments of doubt in our businesses, in our ministry opportunities, and it’s like, just get out of the car, just go see. And that has always stuck with me of just the goodness and the generosity of God that if he has positioned you, he’s going to be with you and help you with what you need practically to do the thing that he’s calling you to do.
Brad Burrow (00:37:25):
Yeah. That’s amazing. Would you say that the doubt may be a sign that you need to step into something a little bit harder or deeper or
Lori Krueger (00:37:33):
Something like that? It can be. It can be a gateway just to pay attention. Ooh, even in those moments of doubt, what am I believing? If I were to rewind, okay, I’m having this feeling of doubt, what was I believing? Oh, I was believing that since I don’t have someone on the inside, that I’m not going to have access. Is that true? Based on evidence, no. Yeah. But that was the lie I was believing, that the only way I’m going to be able to serve this team is I’m going to have to have this happen and it wasn’t true. So I think those moments of doubt, slowing down and examining what am I believing, what are the beliefs there that are undergirding these feelings that I’m feeling and then checking in, is that true or not true? And then, or is it even, is it helpful?
(00:38:19):
Is this helpful for the vision that the Lord has placed on me or not?
Brad Burrow (00:38:24):
Do you have to train, like an athlete,
Lori Krueger (00:38:26):
Almost
Brad Burrow (00:38:26):
Be trained to recognize when that’s
Lori Krueger (00:38:29):
Happening because
Brad Burrow (00:38:29):
It happens so naturally you don’t even realize
Lori Krueger (00:38:31):
It’s
Brad Burrow (00:38:31):
Happening.
Lori Krueger (00:38:32):
100%.
Brad Burrow (00:38:33):
Is that
Lori Krueger (00:38:34):
Something
Brad Burrow (00:38:34):
You help him with?
Lori Krueger (00:38:35):
Yes. Yes. And so when we coach people, we coach them around three things, vision, mindset, and strategy, that is a part of the mindset of the mindset piece, which is actually biblical because I coach athletes who are not people of faith. And so I don’t mention, “Oh, by the way, this is two Corinthians 10: five.” But in my mind, this is two Corinthians 10: five. This is taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ. So noticing, I say neuroscience is catching up to the word of God, right? Noticing those thoughts that we are thinking, capturing them, is this true? Is this alignment with God’s word, what he says about me, what he believes about me. And if it’s not, how do I replace it about what is true? Oh, I’m stepping into a kingdom assignment here, whatever scripture that you would want to anchor into.
(00:39:20):
But yeah, it is a skill to slow down and think about what you’re thinking about.
Brad Burrow (00:39:28):
Yeah. Boy, that’s hard thing to learn too.
Lori Krueger (00:39:30):
Yeah. It requires us to slow down.
Brad Burrow (00:39:32):
Yeah. Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:39:33):
And I don’t know about you. Not very
Brad Burrow (00:39:35):
Good.
Lori Krueger (00:39:36):
Based on what you have described, my guess is you like to move quickly.
Brad Burrow (00:39:40):
Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:39:41):
Same. Yeah.
(00:39:42):
I used to have some strong feelings about slowness. I felt it’s like fast is best and sometimes fast is not best. Sometimes slow is best, which is why I think the Lord gave me the word stillness. So I have two words for the year. One is expectant. Showing up, just expecting that the Lord’s going to move. And just to have that heart of expectation, of expectancy, it reminds me in Acts three where the lame man was brought to the beautiful gate and it says in that scripture that he asked them, he fixed his gaze on Peter and John, and then he asked them expectant to receive something. And so that’s the posture. I want to expect to receive something. And that’s a belief,
Brad Burrow (00:40:31):
Right?
Lori Krueger (00:40:32):
That’s right. That’s
Brad Burrow (00:40:33):
Faith.
Lori Krueger (00:40:33):
That is right. Now the Lord, he expected some coins and the Lord’s like, “Yeah, I’m not going to give you some coins. I’m actually going to heal you. ” He thought he was in for a moment for his daily bread and he’s like, “I’m about to rewrite your story.” But the second word that the Lord gave me this year is stillness. And so practicing those moments of stillness and being aware of, which it requires slowness, at least in my, the way that it’s getting fleshed out this year, I know we’re only in March. Have you ever done morning pages? Ever heard of that practice?
Brad Burrow (00:41:08):
No.
Lori Krueger (00:41:09):
So it’s, you sit down in the morning and you just dump your thoughts. You write three pages. Like journaling? Journal, but you write, it’s just stream of whatever is on your mind, just write, write, write, write, write. And it has to be with paper and a pen and then just to get your thoughts out what’s cluttering our minds. And I found it to be really helpful, especially you being a creative person, just all of the clutter that’s in there so that later in the day I have more clarity. So that is one of my stillness practices that has started this year.
Brad Burrow (00:41:45):
And we have so much noise. Yes. I mean, more than any time in history,
(00:41:51):
We all have to deal with that. And that’s one of the things, I keep talking about the quest life, but you go out on this ranch for a week and you go out and spend time by yourself. You’re completely isolated. You have a Bible and there’s something really cleansing about that. It’s like you’re not thinking about anything else, you’re taking in nature, you’re seeing God’s creation. For me, it’s cows walking up to me, but you’re seeing things and it’s like everything kind of shuts down and you can really hear his still small, quiet voice, which is almost impossible to hear in the business of the world that we’re in. It is true. So I love that that’s your word. Tracy and I, my wife were talking about, we need to take one weekend a month and we just need to go somewhere like a park, national park or someplace where we can just go out, sit down, she’ll go one place, I’ll go one place and we just sit down and shut off everything and just listen.
(00:42:53):
So that’s kind of what you’re talking about. It’s like clearing all those power in that.
Lori Krueger (00:42:58):
I had a coaching call with a client yesterday and he’s a person of faith used to play in the NFL and as we start our coaching calls with prayer and as I was praying for him, that’s exactly what I prayed for. I was like, “Cut through the noise, help us to get through all the stories and all of the things that are coming for us so we can cut through it to hear your voice so we can see where you’re leading us and where you’re directing us.” I think I read a stat that the amount of images that we’re bombarded with a day is like watching 16 movies a day. That much content is coming for us. Yeah. It’s
Brad Burrow (00:43:34):
Crazy.
Lori Krueger (00:43:35):
I know.
Brad Burrow (00:43:35):
Yeah. I see a podcast in your future. I mean, you have some incredible people that you could have
Lori Krueger (00:43:41):
A pretty cool podcast. You’re not the first person that has told me
Brad Burrow (00:43:44):
That. Yeah, I bet that’s true.
Lori Krueger (00:43:46):
Yeah.
Brad Burrow (00:43:46):
All right. So let’s switch gears. We met at the unconventional business deal. Let’s talk about business and faith a little bit. One of the things, so I have a forum group here now that
Lori Krueger (00:43:58):
We’re
Brad Burrow (00:43:58):
Meeting here and going through, learning about how to integrate business into faith or faith into business, I should say, and operate that way and seeing examples of companies that have really kind of flourished when that happened, kind of opposite
Lori Krueger (00:44:15):
Of what people think. AKA Chick-fil-A, AKA-
Brad Burrow (00:44:18):
LensCrafters is
Lori Krueger (00:44:19):
Another one. Yeah. Hobby Lobby, I think Ryan, I think the Ryan Lawn across the
Brad Burrow (00:44:27):
Street. They’re one of the case studies.
Lori Krueger (00:44:30):
And he
Brad Burrow (00:44:30):
Put, we’re going to glorify God in their business plan
Lori Krueger (00:44:36):
And
Brad Burrow (00:44:36):
Their mission statement. He told a story, Larry was, and I know Larry, he actually comes down here every once in a while, but he said, “God wants me to do this. I’m going to do it. ” And he was afraid he was going to lose a lot of his employees. He lost two and they had 50 at the time and a year later they hundred, 160. So
Lori Krueger (00:45:00):
Isn’t that amazing? It’s funny, this is very timely because my husband and I were talking about this on the way here. When it’s favor, I told Matt, I go, “We have a secret advantage. We have the power of the Holy Spirit.” Right. Yes. And so- That we
Brad Burrow (00:45:18):
Don’t take advantage of by the way.
Lori Krueger (00:45:19):
Often, no. But if we will trust him in the spaces and places where he has positioned us and I’m like, “I’m with you. ” Being stewards of where he has positioned us, my coaching practice, the LLC, it’s called 10 Talent Collective, even though it is my assistant and me, but we’re part of the firm, we’re a part of the firm, but I’m a franchise owner and it’s a holy work, right? Taking people who have been entrusted with five talents and how do we turn them into 10?
Brad Burrow (00:45:58):
Right.
Lori Krueger (00:45:59):
That sounds like kingdom currency to me.
Brad Burrow (00:46:01):
Yeah. Yeah. That’s exactly right. Exactly right. So you were going to share a story of somebody that, a leader that you impacted that kind of changed
Lori Krueger (00:46:10):
Their
Brad Burrow (00:46:10):
Whole
Lori Krueger (00:46:11):
Organization. Yes. Well, it’s funny because we started to tell his story a little bit because he is my NHL goalie, personal faith. Yes. Okay. And so he’s an amazing man of faith, has been in the league of a lot of years. Yeah. He’s a veteran. And at the end of last season, when we first started working together, he was the third goalie on his team. So when they brought him in, they said, “This is very clear, you’re the third. If you know anything about hockey, that means you’re going to go on waivers and if you don’t get picked up by another team for free, you’re going to get sent down to the minors.” And they were very clear like, “This is the role you’re going to play.” And we started coaching together and really would like to be the two, so I’m not going up and down to the minors.
(00:46:55):
I don’t think he’s ever been to the minors. He just came right out and went- Was he starting rolling? Yes. Not starting, but was the two and one. He’s never … And so we went to work, mindset, identity, who Christ has called him to be. And then of course, seasons have up and downs. He does go on waivers, gets picked up by another team, plays decently well, goes on waivers again, gets picked up by the originally. But we end the season with him unlocking a level of freedom that he had never experienced in a play because he used to play with such fear as the motivator, right? But perfect love casts out all fear. And so if we start to play loving, closing the gaps in our lives rather than, “I’m afraid I’m going to get lit.” He actually went on a 10 game winning streak last year, he and his team, and because of the work that he was doing internally, it was showing up in his play.
(00:47:52):
They went on a 10 game winning streak. He’s starting goalie at the end of the season. So the transformation, and his story is wild. So then that last game, he takes a skate to the neck. Oh.
(00:48:04):
Yes. And a few centimeters in a different direction could have gone very differently, but pauses, goes home the off season up to British Columbia with his wife and he calls and is like, “I don’t think I’ve played my last NHL game.” So we go to work again. He got an offer from the team that he ended with where they went on that 10 game winning street. Why wouldn’t they? Right. So they offer, but the wife doesn’t necessarily love that city, so he declines the offer. And he’s 37 at the time, so not exactly going to be the face of a franchise, right?
(00:48:36):
Yeah. So we same back to work. He’s setting small sprints, okay, two weeks, this is what I’m going to do. So 50 days go by, nothing, no offers. 100 days go by, no offers. 150 days go by silence, uncertainty, no offers. And then he gets a call to go play for Team Canada over at the Spangler Cup over Christmas, does well. And 278 days of waiting, he plays his first NHL game in the 2026 season for the team that he’s on right now, and he is the number two. So it’s just wild walking with people when they have kingdom mindsets and kingdom stories. And he’s been sharing his faith with teammates. A couple of games ago, one of his teammates got hurt and he just felt like the Lord saying, “Go ask him if you can pray for him.” And so he was obedient and the guy was like, “That would be amazing.
(00:49:31):
Thank you. ” And so his influence is impacting his team and they’re in the hunt. They are in a hunt for a wildcards spot right now. So it’ll be interesting to see how the season ends up. So
Brad Burrow (00:49:45):
How often do you talk with somebody like that? Is it-
Lori Krueger (00:49:47):
Him?
Brad Burrow (00:49:47):
Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:49:48):
Often.
Brad Burrow (00:49:49):
Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:49:50):
Often. How cool. Yeah. So it is different when you’re working with professional athletes, because they are constantly getting real time feedback. You go play a game, practices, trainings. So they want
Brad Burrow (00:50:03):
To hear from you
Lori Krueger (00:50:04):
Then. Back and forth, “Hey, this is what I’m noticing. What are you noticing?” So I communicate with him quite a bit. You’ve
Brad Burrow (00:50:10):
Got to be watching what’s happening then a lot,
Lori Krueger (00:50:12):
Probably. I do.
Brad Burrow (00:50:13):
That’s a big part of your job
Lori Krueger (00:50:14):
Then now. I do. So now that’s why I’m watching a lot of hockey and-
Brad Burrow (00:50:18):
Are you a hockey fan?
Lori Krueger (00:50:19):
Yes. Well, being Canadian, I think it’s part of the nature. Yeah, yeah. When I grew up in our family, the four of us would lay my parents’ bed on Saturday nights and we would watch hockey night in Canada with Don Cherry. So it was a part of the childhood and then it was missing. And now it’s actually been really fun to have that part of kind of nostalgic thinking about childhood now.
Brad Burrow (00:50:42):
Yeah. Yeah. That’s really cool. A good friend of mine I mentioned earlier is Kevin
Lori Krueger (00:50:45):
Seitzer
Brad Burrow (00:50:46):
And
Lori Krueger (00:50:46):
He’s a hitting
Brad Burrow (00:50:47):
Coach for the Mariners and he was at the Braves for 10 years.
Lori Krueger (00:50:50):
I said, “That name is super familiar to me. ”
Brad Burrow (00:50:53):
He’s a career 300 hitter, played in Cleveland, played in Kansas City for a while. I came up with Bo Jackson, but we talk a lot and he’s been on some podcasts with me, but we talk a lot about the mental approach to baseball and the guys get to that level, they have the skills for the most part, but it’s the mental side that … And he’ll talk about, he knows mechanics, obviously he can teach the correct way to swing, but he said probably 75 to 80% of my job is to help these guys mentally know how to handle these situations. And he’s like, half the time I’m learning how to … Each guy’s different, and you probably see that too. Connecting with a guy, certain guys, you can do it this way and certain guys, you have to do it a different way. And so that’s a big part of his job.
(00:51:50):
He’s like, “I’m a cheerleader, I’m supporting them, I’m encouraging them, I’m learning how they learn.” And then if I get the opportunity to talk about mechanics, that’s fine, but it’s really … So he’ll say, at the beginning of the year, we’ve got nine guys in the boat, and then the boat takes off and one guy gets out, so I’m out rescuing that guy and trying to get him back in the boat. About that time, another guy gets in the water, two guys get in the water. So now I’m working on the … He’s like, “That’s what my whole year is
Lori Krueger (00:52:19):
Like. ” I’m having the image of him being on a white water rafting of how they … I don’t know if you’ve ever done that, but our church did it a few years ago and one of our youth and then they’re like, you grab the life jacket and then you pull them basically on you to get back in the boat. I just had that image of-
Brad Burrow (00:52:38):
Yeah, exactly.That’s a great visual, but it is. So that’s probably a big part of your job too, is just learning how people, how do I connect with this person because everybody’s different.
Lori Krueger (00:52:49):
Yep. Yep. Which is the way of Jesus, right? Seeing and serving, knowing what motivates them, and knowing how they’re getting in their own way. Are they an overthinker? Are they a doubter? What beliefs are they believing that is getting in the way of the vision that they said they want, right? Because we always anchor in our meta performance coaching, we always anchor to vision, a picture of the future that produces passion is our definition of it. And I love Habakkuk tutu where he says, write the vision down and make it plain so that the messenger can run with it. So taking the time, okay, do I have a clear vision for this chapter of my life? Do I have clear vision? We have a clear vision for real media. Do I have a clear vision for me as a husband? What are all those areas of setting clear visions for this chapter of our life and then ways that they’re getting in their own way?
(00:53:37):
That
Brad Burrow (00:53:37):
Seems so simple, but it’s so hard. Why? I don’t know.
Lori Krueger (00:53:41):
Yeah. I mean,
Brad Burrow (00:53:43):
It does seem so simple. It’s like, what is the vision? And God, as a Christian, God’s got to be in that. He’s the one really setting the vision,
Lori Krueger (00:53:50):
Right?That’s right right because without vision the people perish, he said in his word. Yes. And so when those visions have been deposited in our heart and pressed upon our souls and we just know that we know, we’re still human and we’re all walking around here underestimating what we’re capable of. We’re all walking around here with blind spots and that’s why a surgeon doesn’t do surgery on himself. We need people who will say, “Hey, do you notice this? ” My guess is that’s getting in the way what you told me that you believe God has for you. What else could be true? What else could be resourceful?
Brad Burrow (00:54:24):
All right. A couple more things
Lori Krueger (00:54:25):
And
Brad Burrow (00:54:25):
We’re going to wrap up.
Lori Krueger (00:54:26):
Great.
Brad Burrow (00:54:27):
I want to talk about the business side just a little bit
Lori Krueger (00:54:30):
Because
Brad Burrow (00:54:30):
You’re speaking like you be in type of thing.
Lori Krueger (00:54:33):
Yes, this is in September. I get to go
Brad Burrow (00:54:35):
Speak there. That’s awesome. They have their big event, Faith Incorporated. I’m going to date our podcast, but it’s coming up in April, which is a big deal. Yes. But talk about the importance of integrating faith into the business as a business owner.That’s something that over the years, we’ve been in business 27 years and one way I’ve gone back and forth before and now I’m more on the side of, I really need to integrate my faith into the business. Why is that important?
Lori Krueger (00:55:03):
Yeah. So this is interesting. I think that it … I want to reflect Christ no matter where I am. And so when we try to separate it, like separating our faith from what we’re up to, I don’t think it works. And I used to try that right at the beginning, just to say this. I used to be like, “Oh, I’m a chaplain and this is how I’m operating over here.” Very faithful, at least faith inclusive, right? Yeah. But I’m a business owner and so I’m going to operate this way over here. And what I realized was I’m just going to show up as me in both places and when I have shown up that way, like I’m a daughter of the most high. I’m on mission. I have been kingdom called and appointed and anointed to serve people in the business world, to serve people in the sports world, to serve people in whatever vision they’re up to.
(00:56:02):
I just feel like it’s going better because it is integrated. It’s like we’re not trying- You’re embracing it. Yes. We’re not trying to compartmentalize it, if you will. We’re just, this is who I am and this is how I show up in the different places and spaces where he’s entrusted to me. So I think it puts more weight on the bar if we start seeing our businesses that they have been entrusted to us as five talents and when we start getting connected to the kingdom impact that can be created, because if it’s not done for the king, it’s going to burn.
Brad Burrow (00:56:47):
Right, right.
Lori Krueger (00:56:48):
So if I’m living my one and only life in a way that my father says, well done, good and faithful servant, I want to be a part of things that are not going to burn.
Brad Burrow (00:56:58):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that’s really good. So let’s go ahead and wrap up. How would somebody get ahold of you if they wanted to get connected with you?
Lori Krueger (00:57:11):
So I’m on LinkedIn. So do you have show notes or no?
Brad Burrow (00:57:14):
Yeah.
Lori Krueger (00:57:14):
Yeah, we do. So you could put that in the show notes. You could message me on LinkedIn. I’m also on Instagram. I can also give you my email. Whatever you want to do. We can put that in the show notes too. And then if you go … We all have pages on the Novus Global website where you just do Novus Global and then backslash my name, but that’s just going to take you to my LinkedIn page. So you might as well go direct to this. Either one. If you’re curious about the work that we do, whether it’s coaching, speaking, or training with corporations, which we haven’t mentioned, but we work … Actually, we work with Netflix. We work with media, entertainment. We have a Novas Global Faith division. Really? We have Novas Global Sport, Novas Global Construction. In the works is Nova’s Global Finance, education.
(00:58:00):
So we love working with anyone who feels like they’re either already good at what they do, but still feel like there’s something else for them or those who just feel like there’s another gear. Because when I look at my roster right now, six of the 11 clients I have, they are a top 1% of the world in what they do.
(00:58:20):
Wow. Right. And I also work with people who are solopreneurs, who just are building businesses. And I love holding space for those people too. So that’s why we have 65 coaches and no matter where you are, whether you’re a top 1% or you’re just starting out, we have coaches who can help you.
Brad Burrow (00:58:39):
So the last thing,
Lori Krueger (00:58:40):
So
Brad Burrow (00:58:41):
This is going to wrap up. So this is called In a World with Real Media, and so that’s what our podcast is, but that came from … I used to do voiceover work, and so I do the movie voice, and so I have every guest do the movie voice for me. So do you think you can do that for me?
Lori Krueger (00:58:57):
What do you mean movie voice? I don’t even know what that means. You
Brad Burrow (00:59:00):
Have kind of a scared look on your face. So you just-
Lori Krueger (00:59:02):
I would love to do a voiceover. I just don’t know what you mean by movie voice. Well,
Brad Burrow (00:59:06):
So I’ll explain. So what you do is you basically get really close to the mic
Lori Krueger (00:59:10):
And
Brad Burrow (00:59:10):
You get really low with your voice
Lori Krueger (00:59:12):
And you
Brad Burrow (00:59:12):
Say, “In a world with real media.”
Lori Krueger (00:59:15):
Oh.
Brad Burrow (00:59:16):
So I want you to do your movie voice.
Lori Krueger (00:59:19):
Okay. In a world with real media.
Brad Burrow (00:59:24):
Great job. Well, that’s awesome. This has really been, Roy, this has been fun today. We don’t always get to talk about faith like this on our podcast, and this has been fun. So thank you for being with us.
Lori Krueger (00:59:37):
Thanks for having me.
Brad Burrow (00:59:38):
And thank you everybody for joining us. Thank you everybody for joining us. We’re excited that you’re going to be able to see this podcast and there’s a lot of great stuff that you can learn from this. Share this with everybody, tell everybody about it, subscribe so when we put new content out that you can get that new content. Thank you for joining us and we’ll see you on the next in a world with real me. This has been In A World with Real Media. Thanks for joining us and be sure to subscribe on iTunes and follow Real Media on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, so you never miss an episode.