On The Franklin Planner Podcast, George Wright III interviews Dave Sanderson, the last passenger off US Airways Flight 1549, who recounts the Hudson River landing, the 36-degree water evacuation, and how preparation, mindset, and teamwork mattered as much as landing the plane. Sanderson explains how the experience reshaped his priorities, exposed feeling undervalued at Oracle, and led him to pursue the “four freedoms” (time, money, mission, relationships) and ultimately leave corporate life with Tony Robbins’ coaching and encouragement. He shares key lessons from mentorship and “proximity is power,” the role of meaning and reframing, and frameworks he teaches including VCR (vision, capabilities, reach), focusing on outcomes, and “best next step.” The conversation emphasizes values-based leadership, building trust over competence, developing resilience from past reference points, and fulfilling a promise to pass mentorship forward.
00:00 Hudson Crash Replay
00:27 Podcast Welcome
02:14 Dave's Flight Story
03:48 Aisle Up Out Mindset
06:28 Resilience Built Over Time
08:06 Aftermath And Oracle Wakeup
09:43 Four Freedoms Escape Plan
12:18 Mentorship With Tony
13:26 Proximity And Meaning
17:08 VCR Resilience Framework
20:57 Vision Values Leadership
23:10 Trust Over Competence
25:40 Focus With Next Steps
28:27 Building Team Resilience
32:07 Leading Your Life
34:37 Mentor Promise Story
38:26 Mentorship Call To Action
Thank you for joining us on this Journey to create your best life and to lead your Life and Teams. Please share this show, and we look forward to the journey we will take together.
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The Franklin Planner Team
Guest Bio
LInks
Website: https://davesandersonspeaks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiredavesanderson
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