The Next Season Podcast
Kevin Kuhn
026 - What Are Your 'No Matter Whats?'
Episode Notes
Welcome back to The Next Season Podcast — and trust me, this one's a masterclass.
I’m honored to sit down with Johnny Martin, a speaker, coach and mentor to Fortune 1 executives, elite military operators, world-record holders, pro athletes, and high-level entrepreneurs. More than that, Johnny is a man who lives what he teaches—a life built on values, vision and grit.
When I created the Ambition Pillar in my coaching program, it was grounded in lessons I learned from Johnny—because values are the foundation for everything: goals, standards, boundaries, success and a life of purpose.
In this episode, we unpack what it really means to live in alignment, how to coach elite performers through pressure and transition, and why character always outlasts talent.
If you’re an athlete, parent, coach—or just someone chasing something bigger—get your notepad ready.
Here’s Johnny Martin.
Connect with Johnny: johnny@veteransfuture.org
00:00 – Opening & Johnny's Origin Story
04:00 – Strict Parents & Firm Expectations
06:18 – Poor Choices, Free Labor & a Life Lesson
10:00 – Finding Purpose & a Path - Lessons from Johnny's Father
16:08 – We DON'T Learn from Experience…
18:41 – The Neuroscience of Real Behavior Change
25:10 – Johnny's Journey From the Classroom to Coaching Elite Performers
36:00 – Different Environments, Same Principles
38:48 – Pillars of Next Season
41:53 – The Ambition Pillar - Identity, Vision, Values, Standards and Boundaries
43:23 – It Starts with Values - Your “No Matter Whats”
52:16 – "We're Gonna Dance, and I'm Gonna Lead" - Stress, Distress & Agency
58:36 – Acknowledge, Accept, Act
1:00:00 – Wrapping Up, Honoring Our Military & Helping Transitioning Veterans