About this episode
Chris Malleo is a former Northwestern University and professional football player. After retiring from paying, he became head coach at The Peddie School in New Jersey, and led a perennial underachieving team to a #1 national ranking through a system of culture, belief, and standards. While at Peddie, Chris hired an incredible coach named Frankie Kineavy. Frankie was non verbal, and had suffered from cerebral palsy since birth, yet soon Chris, his staff and his players realized that while Frankie was not your typical football coach, he was one of the best leaders any of them had ever met. Chris tells that story in his new book The ChairLeader, a best selling book on leadership, connection, and courage, featuring a foreword by Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright and endorsements from bestselling author Jon Gordon, Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney, and Jersey Mike's Founder and CEO Peter Cancro. In our discussion, John and Chris discuss his journey to becoming a coach, the incredible impact Frankie had on the Peddie program, and the leadership lessons that he retells in his book. Connect with Chris at www.ChrisMalleo.com BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John or one of our speaking team come to your school, club or coaching event? We are still booking Spring and Fall 2026 events, please email us to set up an introductory call John@ChangingTheGameProject.com PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS, AND JOIN 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS FROM SYRACUSE MENS LAX, UNC AND NAVY WOMENS LAX, AND MCLAREN F1! These are just the most recent championship teams using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes and support teams. Many of these coaches are also getting THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT so their team parents can be part of a successful culture. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you? We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country, will your team be next? Click here to visit John's author page on Amazon Click here to visit Jerry's author page on Amazon Please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com if you want discounted pricing on 10 or more books on any of our books. Thanks everyone. This week's podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports. Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs. Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket