Today, we dive deeply into the esports world and its profitability, guided by our guest, Marcus "Esports" Howard.  Marcus is a lifelong gamer, a published author, featured speaker, indie games advocate, professor, international startup advisor, blockchain enthusiast, and growth hacker. Besides wearing so many hats, Marcus is passionate about making esports profitable.  Throughout our conversation, we delve into Marcus' relationship with video games and his parents' influence in developing his video game technology career. He kindly shared the most significant learnings from his first experiences as a game and software developer and community builder. We also discuss esports' possibilities of turning into a standalone business, the future of Web3, the metaverse, and NFTs. In addition, we talk about Marcus' book and the issues in the gaming and esports industry he addressed with his work.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: Book: Marcus Howard, Sven Boermeester, Carel Van Graan - INNOVATE® Gaming & Esports - a Book that showcases the people, companies, products, and services that are leading the race within the gaming/esports industry's innovation ecosystem. Connect with Marcus on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-esports-howard-60785023/. Twitter: https://twitter.com/therearetwoofme Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Salem Thyne visits us today to talk about entrepreneurship, how to get in touch with our purpose, and esports.  Salem is an Entrepreneur, CEO, Podcast Host, and Author passionate about excellence and for constantly setting the bar high for himself and his teams. He has a solid background in the oil, chemical, and nuclear fuels industry; he hosts The CEO Tip of The Day Podcast and is the co-author of the soon-to-be-published book "Nobody Cares (Until You Do)." In this episode, we go through Salem's fantastic journey into entrepreneurship, from his early experiences as a restaurant manager, his military background, and the aha moment when he decided to make the leap of faith and become an entrepreneur. We delve into his transition into esports and his experiences with Esports Virtual Arenas (EVA): the future of esports. We also talk about the challenges of finding a market in the gaps, the close relationship between fear and entrepreneurship, the importance of taking action to start modifying the things we don't like in our lives, and much more.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: Visit EVA's website: https://www.eva.gg/. Listen to The CEO Tip of The Day Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast.... Pre-order Salem's book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nobo.... Connect with Salem on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salem-thyne/. Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Although many people depict esports as a consolidated forest of redwood trees, our guest, Christopher LaPorte, believes the industry is still grass. It has the potential to become a multi-billion dollar industry, but we are not there yet.  Christopher is the Founder of RESET, a cannabis hospitality management company specializing in creating venues and events focusing on competitive and casual gaming, skill-based gaming, and VR/AR tech.  In this episode, Christopher shared his unique perspective on community building, the (re)introduction of arcades to the gaming scene, and esports and betting. He described his relationship with gaming and explained why he believes there is a massive market to explore in the esports betting niche.  Plus, we discuss how the traditional sports approach translates to gaming and esports, the role of YouTube and Twitch in community building, and much more. This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com  Resources: Visit the RESET website: https://www.reset.vegas Connect with Christopher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-laporte-52471b52/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

At this point, there's no doubt esports is here to stay, and it is definitely going somewhere, although it is a bit hard to predict exactly where.  In today's episode, Angela Bernard Thomas and Michael Williams join us to talk about Glytch and share a glimpse of where they see esports heading. Angela is the EVP of Collegiate Sports Management Group and EsportsU and the Founder of A-Game Esports. Michael is the Chief Visionary Officer at Glytch Inc.  Throughout our conversation, Angela and Michael described the esports scene, where they see it heading, and its business opportunities. They explained why therey should be 32 professional esports stadiums in America, the need for regional and location-based entertainment venues, and what differentiates the Glythc project from the rest of what we've seen so far in the industry.   This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Resources: Visit Glytch's website: https://www.glytch.com/ Connect with Angela and Michael on LinkedIn: Angela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelabernhardthomas/ Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onlinegameguy/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Consequences aren't necessarily negative; we can learn a lot from the results of our actions. By acknowledging that and taking accountability for our decisions, we not only learn from our mistakes but empower ourselves.  In this episode, Robert Hunt and Salem Thyne join us to talk about "Nobody Cares... Until You Do," the book they co-authored, where they share stories about themselves, two ordinary guys who embraced the power of accountability.  Salem is an Entrepreneur, CEO, Author, and Host of The CEO Tip Of The Day Podcast. Robert is an Executive Coach and Partner at Renaissance Executive Forums, where he leads CEO Groups, Advisory Boards, Peer Groups, and Mastermind Groups in Dallas.  They shared the story of how they met and why they decided to write the book, the book's premises and core message, and some practical actions from their book to day-to-day life. Robert and Salem also explained how their book can help gamers develop their gaming skills, how to look at preparation for tournaments slightly differently, why it's crucial to avoid falling into victim mentality mode, and so much more.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com  Resources: Visit Nobody Cares... Until You Do's website: https://nobodycaresbook.com/ Get the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Cares-Until-You-Do/dp/1642253200. Or connect with Robert and Salem on LinkedIn: Salem: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salem-thyne/. Robert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthuntceo/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

In today's episode, we have a fantastic conversation about natural supplementation for gamers that can improve their performance and health and a teenager gamer's perspective on harmful gamers' habits. Joining us today are Dr. Chris Jackson and his 16-year-old nephew, Marcus. Dr. Chris is the co-founder and CEO of Betterbrand Health; a nutraceutical company focused on upper respiratory support and mental acuity. He is also the Lead Product Developer at Elite Sweets, a Doctor of Pharmacy from The University of Texas, a lifelong gamer, and a retired US Army Veteran. Throughout our conversation, Dr. Chris talks about his journey from the military to becoming a pharmacist, his interest in esports and gaming, and his passion for helping others recover and improving their health. Dr. Chris also talks about his decision to dive into the entrepreneurial side of medicine and the multiple benefits for gamers from using the right supplements. In addition, Marcus shares his perspective as a teenager gamer on bad habits, how to encourage good practices and healthy routines, how he sees schools getting into the health and wellness for gamers conversation, and much more.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: Visit Betterbrand's website: www.trybetterbrand.com  Or connect with Dr. Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jackson-betterbrand/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Braedon Sheppard joins us today to talk about content creation, his journey and experiences in gaming and esports, and the relevance and proper use of TikTok to engage with audiences, brands, and gamers.  Braedon is the founder and President of Sheppard Media LLC; he is a TikTok Gaming Content Creator with over 230K followers and over 1 million weekly engagements, views, and impressions on the platform. In this episode, our conversation revolves around Braedon's journey in content creation, from joining Machinima at 16 to becoming a digital -marketing specialist, a network expert, and then founding Sheppard Media. We talked about his passion for content creation and why he chose TikTok to share his content over other social media platforms. In addition, Braedon kindly shared advice for content creators and brands on engaging their audiences using TikTok.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Connect with Brandon on social media: Sheppard Media Beacons: https://beacons.ai/sheppard TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@TheSheppard Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesheppardlol/?hl=es. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thecontentcreator/. Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesheppardlol Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/TheSheppard Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

At this point, there's no doubt esports is here to stay, and it is definitely going somewhere, although it is a bit hard to predict exactly where.  In today's episode, Angela Bernard Thomas and Michael Williams join us to talk about Glytch and share a glimpse of where they see esports heading. Angela is the EVP of Collegiate Sports Management Group and EsportsU and the Founder of A-Game Esports. Michael is the Chief Visionary Officer at Glytch Inc.  Throughout our conversation, Angela and Michael described the esports scene, where they see it heading, and its business opportunities. They explained why therey should be 32 professional esports stadiums in America, the need for regional and location-based entertainment venues, and what differentiates the Glythc project from the rest of what we've seen so far in the industry.   This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Resources: Visit Glytch's website: https://www.glytch.com/ Connect with Angela and Michael on LinkedIn: Angela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelabernhardthomas/ Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onlinegameguy/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

One of the issues with esports is that, so far, it has been treated as a gamers' activity instead of a business. That particular view, slowly but surely, has started to change. Meet Angela Bernhard Thomas, EVP of Collegiate Sports Management Group and EsportsU, and Founder at A-Game Esports.  A lifelong admirer of art and raised by her mother, a brilliant painter, Angela imbues artistry into every project she becomes part of.  In this episode, we delve into Angela's journey from entrepreneurship to gaming and apply her unique perspective to collegiate esports. We also talk about her work with EsportsU and how it can impact the future of collegiate esports, the relationship between brands and viewership, why brands are more likely to spend more on advertising than on activations and much more.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com  Resources: Visit the EsportsU Twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/esportsu?lang=es. Visit the Collegiate Sports Management Group website: https://collegiatesmg.com/. Or connect with Angela on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelabernhardthomas/. Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Joining us today is arguably the youngest owner of an esports team, Harley Parks, to share her unique perspective about the esports teams' ecosystem, its challenges, and opportunities.  Harley is the Founder and CEO of BearClaw Esports. Harley, now 19 years old, started her journey with BearClaw in 2020, establishing its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, and gathering talent from around the world.  In this episode, we delve into Harley's relationship with gaming and esports, why she decided to pursue a career in the space, and her family's reaction to that. She shared some of the frustrating, painful, and expensive lessons she learned along the way and what she learned from them.  We also discuss the challenges esports teams face to make it a profitable business; Harley shared her thoughts on why many esports teams fail and where she sees her team heading in the next couple of years.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: Visit BearClaw Esports website: https://bearclawesports.co/news-1. Connect with Harley on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harley-parks-bearclawarmy/?trk=org-employees. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bearclawharley/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/bearclawharley Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

There is a widespread belief that kids are born entirely perfect, and it is the environment and the parents who "ruin" them, causing them to have different issues; it is not true. However, how parents deal with a kid that gets easily upset upon defeat or is used to cheat to win impacts that kid's development.  Joining us today is Dr. Marianne Engle, Ph.D. She is a clinical psychologist, sports psychologist, and vice president of inCourage, a not-for-profit organization that helps young athletes and adults redefine success in youth sports.  In this episode, we delve into the link between the mental health of traditional sports and competitive gaming athletes and the unresolved issues during their childhood. Dr. Marianne talks about the right timing for athletes to seek psychological support and how to identify when their mental issues become dysfunctional to their athletic performance. We also talk about the harmful effects of interacting with the world exclusively in the digital plane and the questions gamers and streamers should ask themselves to avoid developing mental health issues. Resources: Visit the inCourage website: https://www.incourage.com/. Or connect with Dr. Engle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-engle-7b930a2b/ Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Good ergonomic conditions don't depend exclusively on the quality, price, or even the ergonomic qualities of the furniture we use when we are gaming, in our workstations, or wherever we spend the most time.  Jeannie Koulizakis, today's guest, indicates that good ergonomics conditions include all the mentioned above plus a lot of other things, like positioning, movement, and activity, to remark some of them.  Jeannie Koulizakis is the Director of Physical Therapy at Nova Pain and Rehab. She is also the Founder and Physical Therapist at ErgoRX.com, a company that helps users customize people's workspaces to fit every body type and work style to maximize comfort, productivity, and wellness during work. In this episode, Jeannie shares vital information about ergonomics, how massively important it is to pay attention to our sitting positions where we spend most of our time and the dangers of neglecting ergonomics in our workspaces. We talk about total exposure, ideal postures, workplace hygiene, and the urgency for digital native generations to take care of their ergonomics.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: You can visit Nova Pain & Rehab's website: https://novapainandrehab.com/. Visit ErgoRX's website: https://www.ergorx.com/. Or connect with Jeannie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeannie-koulizakis-physical-therapist/. Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

This week, Rebecca Dixon joins us to talk about the perceptions, shared beliefs, and reality of female gamers in the space. Rebecca is the co-founder and CEO of the*gameHERs, arguably the largest community of female gamers. She is also one of the Esports Trade Association's Board Members. Rebecca was the Managing Director of Advertising and Strategic Partnerships at @mommybites and counts over 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing, brand partnerships, and community building. Throughout our conversation, we delve into the challenges most females face regarding the opportunities and resources offered to them to join the gaming and esports industry. We discuss how games have been historically branded to male gamers and the difference between genders in how they identify themselves concerning their gaming tendencies. Rebecca also shared the*gameHERs approach to health and wellness, the different tools and resources they provide to the gaming community, and her take on gaming's positivities. This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Resources: Visit thegame*HERs website: https://thegamehers.com/. Or connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-dixon-3903015/. Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

In today's episode, we are joined by one of the OGs of game development, Noah Falstein, Executive Advisor at Akili Interactive. Noah has been designing games since 1980; he has worked for LucasArts, 3DO, Dreamworks Interactive, and Google. Noah is also the Owner of The Inspiracy, a consulting game production and design company focusing on neuroscience and health games. In this episode, we delve into one of Noah's many passions in gaming, creating games to improve health. Noah shares fascinating facts about the connection between gaming and neuroscience and how games can effectively mitigate the symptoms or even cure many health issues like anxiety, phobias, Alzheimer's disease, autism, and even myopia.  We also learn about his journey in the industry, from creating tabletop games to video games. We discuss the implications of game-developing tools' evolution, his consultant experience, and more.  Resources: Visit The Inspiracy website: http://www.theinspiracy.com/. Visit the Akili Interactive website: https://www.akiliinteractive.com/. Or connect with Noah on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamedesignexpert/. Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfalstein This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Adding value to a company is, without a doubt, the easiest way to put a foot in any industry. If our business card is a concrete plan for improving a business, we will most likely get hired for the position or, going even further; the company might create the job position for us.  Our guest, Mike Cotton, certainly mastered this skill throughout his exciting and multifaceted career. He is the Founder, President, and COO of Wondr Gaming and the President and COO of Gamelancer, the largest Gen Z social gaming network. Mike is also the Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Rumble Gaming and an Investor and Advisor at PropSwap LLC.  In this episode, we delve into Mike's vertiginous professional career. We explore his background as an economist and "statistics nerd" that helped him differentiate himself in the traditional sports and esports industries. He shared his experiences, the lessons learned, and some practical advice for those interested in joining sports, esports, or any other industry.  We also talk about his experiences in the VC world, his time as COO of Toronto Esports Club, and his current role at Gamelancer.  Resources: Visit Gamelancer's website: https://gamelancer.com/. or connect with Mike on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikecotton/details/experience/ This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Ian Seltzer joins us today to share his thoughts on streaming media, the profitability of esports, Venture Capitals, and marketing. Ian is a well-round esports strategist and the lead for Business Development at Pierce Yates Ventures. Before his incursion into the VC world, Ian led the content and business side of the top-ranked esports team, Rogue. He also worked at Hulu, Vuguru, and Paramount Digital Entertainment, where he developed, licensed and launched 30 original titles for TV, film, and the web in over 110 countries worldwide. In this episode, we delve into Ian's journey in content creation and his visionary interest in streaming media when the industry was just in diapers. We discussed esports as a business per se, and Ian shared his mind on when he sees esports going in the following years. We also talk about the possibilities for VCs in gaming and esports and what companies must figure out to brand themselves in the industry. In addition, Ian talked about betting in esports, the independent game market, and more. This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com / Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Visiting us today is Alexandrie Brekke, Allie, to talk about diversity, bullying, the feminine presence in gaming and esports, and how she used video games to rescue herself from a dark place. Allie Brekke is the Director of Operations at Kungarna, Brand Manager at Antares Gaming, and an Esports Marketing Consultant. Allie is passionate about helping individuals, teams, and brands grow their online presence. She is an advocate for diversity and inclusion and an active combatant of online bullying, discrimination, and any form of online hate. In this episode, we delve into Allie's journey into gaming. We talked about her tough childhood and how video games provided her with a safe space. She kindly shared how video games offered her the chance to find peace and inspired her to create safe environments for other gamers. We discuss the responsibility and possibilities streaming platforms have in preventing and stopping online bullying and the importance of educating gamers and esports athletes about their behavior online. Resources: Visit Kungarna's website: https://kungarna.com/ Or connect with Allie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrekke83/ This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Karen Todd, VP of Global Brand Marketing at Kyowa Hakko USA, joins us to talk about performance-enhancing ingredients, health, and wellness in the gaming industry.  We had a fantastic conversation about Karen's background, her passion for nutrition, and educating people on how to take the best care of their health. We explore the benefits of Cognizin, one of Kyowa's products, and the benefits gamers, pro gamers, and athletes, in general, can gain from it.  Karen also describes the process behind the naming and the design of Kyowa's products and how they help gamers perform better. In addition, she kindly shares advice for young folks interested in joining the industry. Resources: Visit the Kyowa Hakko USA website: https://www.kyowa-usa.com/  Or connect with Karen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karentoddrd/. Find products containing Cognizin today! https://www.cognizin.com/en/where-to-find Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

Joining us today is Borko Popic to talk about high-performing competitive gaming athletes, how to build healthy, high-performing environments, and his unique approach to overall health and wellness.  Borko is a Sr. Manager and Performance Coach at Overactive Media, Canada's largest esports ownership group. Borko and his family, originally from Bosnia, lived for some time in Serbia before immigrating to Canada when he was 9. Practicing sports and collective games quickly broke the language barriers Borko had when he arrived in Canada. Fast forward many years, his passion for sports and high-performing athletes made him a perfect fit to mentor and coach competitive gaming athletes.  Throughout our conversation, we explored Borko's background in traditional sports and how that experience served him to help esports athletes perform at their best. We talk about his approach to the mental and physical preparation for esports and gaming, the necessary elements of a healthy, high-performing environment, and the challenges of coaching esports athletes from different backgrounds and latitudes worldwide.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Resources: Visit the Overactive Media website: https://overactivemedia.com/. Connect with Borko on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/borkopopic/?originalSubdomain=ca Twitter: https://twitter.com/borkopopic?lang=es Taxed on first 80% of the revenue

The gaming industry has matured a lot in the last couple of years, from a business perspective, health and wellness, and social awareness space. How society sees gamers has also changed; the idea of a lonely young kid with poor social skills playing in a basement has been thoroughly debunked. Gaming has shown that the space is about the community more than about the games being played. Several games are now functioning more like social media platforms than games themselves. Many of these and other positive aspects of the industry are not being divulged enough, and our special guest, John Davidson, joins us today to talk about it. John Davidson is the host of the DLC Drop Podcast, Founder and CEO of the Davidson Learning Company, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Esports Trade Association, a thought leader, and a guru of the gaming industry.  We dive into the pros and cons of an industry run by young people from a community, marketing, and business opportunities perspective and the structural difference between the traditional sports space and esports. We discuss the lack of exposure to positive aspects of gaming, like teamwork, conflict resolution, direct contact with several art forms, like music, design, and storytelling. John also shares his thoughts on the maturing process he witnessed in the industry, the importance of allowing more room for healthy habits and wellness in the space, and the self-reflecting and problem-solving personality of the community.  This podcast is Powered by Cognizin: Visit cognizin.com to learn more and find a product to help fuel your day. Visit: www.cognizin.com. Resources: Visit the Davidson Learning Company website: https://www.dlcyouth.com/ Listen to the DLC Drop podcast: https://esportsfpn.com/show/the-dlc-drop-podcast or connect with John on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davidson-42953846/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n Taxed on first 80% of the revenue