The Standard

Michael Montelongo on the H.A.V.E. Leader & Geopolitical Risk

Raymond Hall — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:08:01 -0700

Raymond Hall interviews Michael Montelongo about forging an elite standard through service, West Point, and military experience, and about developing a “North Star” leadership orientation in which “good enough” is unacceptable because decisions affect lives, careers, and families. Montelongo outlines his leadership philosophy—learn, grow, serve, contribute—and explains that performance is driven by TLC (talent, leadership, culture) led by a HAVE leader (humility, authenticity, vulnerability, empathy), emphasizing vulnerability as the hardest trait because it is often misconstrued as weakness. He describes how trust is built through character, transparency, honesty, and integrity, and offers tactics like listening first, clarifying expectations, and creating psychological safety. He shares integrity guardrails (mirror, headline, mentor, legacy, role-model tests), warns of rationalization and the loss of truth-tellers as tripwires, discusses grounding routines, including gratitude, and argues that leaders must integrate geopolitical risk into strategy as globalization’s assumptions fade and economics becomes a battlefield.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:15 Forging an Elite Standard

05:25 North Star Under Pressure

09:17 HAVE Framework Explained

17:48 Vulnerability and Self Awareness

22:43 Building Trust Fast

29:46 Integrity Guardrails Tests

34:58 Tripwires and Truth Tellers

40:16 Personal Resilience Routine

44:07 Geopolitical Risk Playbook

50:12 Defining The Standard

53:52 Final Thanks and Sign Off

Sports Gambling: Proactive Leadership, Data Signals & Kindbridge Solutions

Raymond Hall — Fri, 15 May 2026 11:37:40 -0700

Host Raymond Hall interviews Daniel Umfleet, CEO of Kindbridge, on the rapid growth of sports gambling and the lack of supporting human and healthcare infrastructure. Umfleet argues the biggest disconnect is unclear responsibility and an unprepared health system, as gambling-related financial distress impacts social determinants like rent and food security. They discuss proactive “left of bang” leadership, responsible gambling tools, emerging legislation, and the need for better data and ethical use of behavioral signals such as deposit/withdrawal patterns, late-night activity, absenteeism, and workplace and family warning signs. Umfleet emphasizes shared ownership across operators, regulators, employers, and healthcare and recommends training frontline customer service and managers to de-escalate harm and route people to help. He outlines Kindbridge’s digital-first clinical services, employer programs, customer service support, clinician training, and availability in the US and Canada, as well as an educational AI resource hub for broader use.

00:00 Welcome to The Standard

01:09 Sports Betting Boom and Risks

01:38 Healthcare Not Ready Yet

04:13 Proactive Responsible Gambling

08:07 Behavioral Signals and Ethics

11:01 Workplace and Family Warning Signs

17:03 Shared Ownership and Collaboration

19:24 Digital Natives and New Addictions

24:34 Peak Performance Mindset Trap

30:09 Tax Revenue Into Mental Health

35:07 CEO Playbook for Proactivity

39:00 What Kindbridge Provides

47:28 Global Access and AI Tools

49:37 Closing Thoughts and Takeaways

Health as a Leadership Standard: Dr. Brittany Deane on Sustaining High Performance

Raymond Hall — Mon, 04 May 2026 13:50:12 -0700

Raymond Hall interviews Dr. Brittany Deane—athlete, medical doctor, and Chief Performance Officer at BioSync X Global from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago—about the real pressures, trade-offs, and habits behind sustainable high performance. Dean explains how performance medicine connects internal biology to business outcomes, shaped by her COVID-era experiences as both doctor and patient and a personal loss that led her away from hospital work toward bodybuilding, women’s health advocacy, and executive performance care. She highlights burnout, degraded capacity, and sleep as a commonly compromised pillar, arguing leaders often overestimate their biology and underestimate its impact on focus, mood, and longevity. Dean emphasizes reframing nerves, learning through failure, disciplined recovery, and basics over quick fixes, and describes a client transformation involving quitting nightly drinking, losing 20 pounds, improving sleep, and reclaiming family time.

00:00 Meet Dr Brittany Deane

01:26 Performance Medicine Explained

02:54 COVID Wake Up Call

05:24 Health Becomes Real

07:41 Fail Fast Learn Faster

09:56 Nerves and Confidence

13:11 Health as Leadership Standard

19:45 Sleep and Degraded Capacity

21:43 Wellbeing Sets the Tone

27:24 Longevity Basics Over Hacks

30:11 Making Long Game Decisions

31:09 Deep Dive Diagnostics

32:34 Mindset And Self Talk

34:48 Consistency And 80 20

37:42 Bodybuilding Prep Mindset

38:57 Recovery For High Performers

43:00 Measuring Executive Health

46:01 Who Gets Results

47:46 Transformation Story

52:27 Leadership Beyond Titles

53:32 Letter To Younger Self

55:10 Culture Through Standards

57:40 Defining The Standard

59:16 Closing Takeaways

The Evolution of Excellence: Kym Hampton

Raymond Hall — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:56:58 -0700

On The Standard podcast, host Raymond Hall interviews former WNBA and European basketball star Kym Hampton about leadership, mindset, and sustaining excellence. Hampton describes her core identity as living consciously and truthfully, grounded in kindness and how she treats people. She discusses overcoming limiting beliefs rooted in childhood stage fear, building confidence through rapid athletic success in high school, and realizing professional opportunities through USA teams in college. She highlights the political nature of women’s basketball, the sacrifices required (time, relationships, holidays, and playing overseas), and the importance of consistency, professionalism, and integrity. The conversation explores leadership under pressure as choosing unity over division, mental health through boundaries and managing thoughts, identity after abrupt retirement, and saying yes to evolving opportunities in singing, modeling, and acting. Hampton closes with advice to her younger self on grace, effort, and self-worth, defining “the standard” as personal honesty, discipline, and accountability.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:33 Living Your Truth

03:11 Kindness as Core

03:42 Breaking Limiting Beliefs

06:36 Believing You Can Win

08:07 Mentors Who Shape You

11:53 Politics of the Game

13:35 Sacrifices Behind Success

16:52 Consistency Through Struggle

19:49 Habits and Discipline

23:29 Leadership Under Pressure

26:09 Born or Made Leaders

27:50 Choosing Role Models Wisely

30:45 Workplace Mental Health

34:54 Gratitude And Boundaries

37:37 Morning Mindset Rituals

38:45 Identity After Transition

42:16 Building New Careers

45:11 Betting On Yourself

47:06 Truth Tellers And Mentors

50:00 Executive Presence Signals

53:20 Letter To Younger Self

57:38 Defining The Standard

59:29 Closing Thanks And Takeaways

Trailer

Raymond Hall — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 17:18:54 -0700