Tony Loyd: Life Is Short, Play Big, Love Hard

In this episode, Gary and Tony Loyd discuss:

• Early career in nuclear health physics and radiation protection
• Pivot from technical expertise to learning, development, and human performance
• Intrapreneurship at John Deere and building John Deere University
• Major life pivots: retirement, social entrepreneurship, divorce, and lung cancer
• Creation of the Endurance Leadership framework and legacy-focused IP

Key Takeaways:

• A career path rarely follows a straight line; seemingly unrelated experiences can compound into a unique and powerful leadership perspective.
• Technical expertise can be a gateway into deeper work on human behavior, systems thinking, and organizational performance.
• Intrapreneurial initiatives, like building a university inside a 150-year-old company, can turn cost centers into value-generating engines when they’re aligned with sustainable, profitable growth.
• Life shocks such as divorce and a cancer diagnosis can act as clarifying moments, pushing you to focus urgently on what you’re truly here to do.
• Enduring as a leader in a “rock tumbler” world of constant churn requires a mindset more like an endurance athlete than a short-distance sprinter, supported by intentional practices, frameworks, and community.

“If you take the mindset of an endurance athlete and you put together that with your leadership experience, you end up with endurance leadership.”  — Tony Loyd

About Tony Loyd: Tony Loyd is a former Fortune 500 executive, endurance athlete, and lung cancer survivor who helps executive teams build what he calls Endurance Leadership—resilience that’s backed by science and forged through real-world experience. His unconventional career began in nuclear health physics and evolved into learning and development, human performance improvement, and senior leadership roles at companies like John Deere, Medtronic, and Buffalo Wild Wings. At John Deere, he helped launch John Deere University, an intrapreneurial venture that transformed a traditional cost center into a value-generating learning platform.

After taking early retirement, Tony turned his focus to social entrepreneurship, launching the Social Entrepreneur podcast and authoring the Amazon #1 bestselling book Crazy Good Advice: 10 Lessons Learned from 150 Leading Social Entrepreneurs. A divorce and a lung cancer diagnosis—followed by surgery that removed 25% of his lungs—became a defining pivot point. He adopted the personal motto, “Life is short, play big, love hard,” and set out to pour his remaining time and energy into helping leaders endure and thrive in what he describes as a “rock tumbler” world.

Today, through Culture Shift Advisors and the emerging Culture Shift Institute, Tony delivers keynotes, workshops, and executive coaching grounded in his Endurance Leadership framework, which integrates neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and habit formation. He’s training leaders to get “100% out of 75%” by staying calm under pressure, clarifying purpose, navigating change, and sustaining performance over the long haul—without relying on hype or quick fixes.

Connect with Tony Loyd:  

Website: https://tonyloyd.com | https://cultureshift.com  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyloyd   

Facebook: https://facebook.com/tony.loyd    

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyloyd  

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@anthonyloyd  

Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/37585002  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tonyloyd  

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealtonyloyd  

To get in touch with Gary:

Website: https://betterpathtraining.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsinderbrand/

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You’re the expert. Your podcast will prove it.