He coached Michael Chang and Wes Welker, co-founded the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, and built one of the most decorated careers in sports science.
Then a hospital bed, a broken relationship with his father, and a mountain in Africa taught him what none of the trophies could. This is Dr. Jack Groppel's story of achievement addiction, faith, and fatherhood.
Dr. Jack Groppel has operated at the highest levels of human performance for four decades. Co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, Hall of Fame tennis coach, author of The Corporate Athlete, and coach to legends like Michael Chang and Wes Welker, his professional resume reads like a highlight reel.
But in this conversation, Jack takes us underneath the resume. He talks about growing up under a demanding father, using achievement as a way to prove his worth, and building a career on that pattern for decades before it caught up with him.
He shares the hospitalization that forced him to confront who he actually was, the faith journey that followed, adopting his son from China at nearly 60 years old, and the moment on Mount Kilimanjaro when the two of them stood at the summit together.
This is a conversation about ambition, identity, fatherhood, and the difference between a life that looks successful and a life that feels well lived.
Key Takeaways
1. Achievement can become an addiction when it's used to prove worth rather than pursue purpose
2. Facing truth about yourself is its own form of conflict and often the harder one
3. Writing a personal mission statement gives you a filter for every decision that follows
4. Journaling by hand has research behind it for actually rewiring the brain around old stories
5. The question "what matters most right now" is a daily calibration tool, not a one-time exercise
6. Breaking a generational pattern requires naming it out loud before you can choose differently
Guest Bio
Dr. Jack Groppel is an internationally recognized authority in human performance and well-being. He is co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, a former professor, and a trusted advisor to organizations ranging from Fortune 50 companies to global policy groups.
He is a Hall of Fame tennis coach and sports scientist, a fellow of both the American College of Sports Medicine and the American College of Nutrition, and has presented his work at the United Nations and before Congress.
He is the author of the landmark book The Corporate Athlete and the new memoir Mountains Within, an account of achievement, loss, fatherhood, and faith. He has coached Hall of Fame players including Michael Chang and Stan Smith, and worked with NFL veteran Wes Welker.
Connect with Jack
Website: jackgroppel.net
LinkedIn: @JackGroppel
Book: Mountains Within (available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover, audiobook narrated by Jack himself)
Connect with Kevin
https://linktr.ee/kevinmcnulty
Book: The Gap Between Two Worlds
#growyourself #JackGroppel #MountainsWithin #humanperformance #CorporateAthlete #personalgrowth #fatherhood #faith #resilience #leadership #tenniscoach #TheGapBetweenTwoWorlds
