#66 - Nathan Heidger - Lessons learned from sports to make you a successful business leader

Athletes already know how to win in sales—if they stop treating it like a job and start treating it like a process. Nathan Heidger breaks down the mindset, resilience, and servant-leadership habits that helped him go from beach volleyball to building a serious career in business. From grinding on the AVP qualifying tour to working seven-day weeks in sales, Nathan shares the lessons that actually transfer: how to handle rejection without taking it personally, why growth mindset beats raw talent, and why the best salespeople win by asking better questions and genuinely helping people. You’ll discover:

• Why Carol Dweck’s growth mindset idea changes how you coach yourself and others
• The biggest mistake athletes make when they enter sales too early
• How beach volleyball trained Nathan for pressure, competition, and partnership
• Why “good human first” is the foundation of hiring and leadership
• The five-part hiring philosophy Nathan uses to spot real long-term contributors
• How servant leadership outperforms the old “put on the manager hat” approach
• Why ego and fear quietly wreck careers, and how to stay in the middle

Nathan also opens up about building and leading teams, the painful lessons from a business that nearly missed payroll, and what he learned when he realized titles don’t make you a leader—service does.Nathan Heidger is a former professional beach volleyball player turned sales leader, life coach, and VP of Sales at MeridianLink. He’s known for bringing athlete-level discipline and servant leadership into high-performing business teams. If you’re an athlete thinking about your next chapter, or a salesperson trying to build real staying power, this episode gives you the mindset shift you need to level up fast. Essential listening if you want a career built on confidence, resilience, and results that last.