Most people quit the moment they realize they’re not the most talented in the room. But success has almost nothing to do with talent.
In this episode, Jeff LeVecchio shares the “Give More, Be More” philosophy that helped him build a business big enough to retire from pro hockey at just 33. You’ll walk away understanding why every pro athlete is really an entrepreneur, the number one piece of advice he has for retiring athletes, and the scaling trap that holds back most founders
Topics discussed:
Introduction (00:00)
Hockey beginnings (01:39)
Why pro athletes are really entrepreneurs (05:22)
Identity and life after the locker room (08:29)
The 7-year runway that built his business (11:10)
Jeff’s Give More, Be More philosophy (14:23)
Building a career as a speaker (16:47)
What it really takes to scale (20:49)
Lessons from podcasting (25:35)
The ugly truth about youth hockey advisors (30:50)
What brought you JOY today? (38:24)
Resources:
Connect with Larry Sprung:
About Our Guest:
I grew up playing hockey in St. Louis at a time when the best hockey cities laughed at us for trying to compete with them. Through hard work, dedication and self discipline I willed myself to a Division I scholarship at Western Michigan University. After three years at WMU I signed with the Boston Bruins. Although I never got to play in a regular season game, I did play in seven NHL pre-season games with the Bruins and I was on their roster for playoffs.
Over the next six years I was fortunate to play in the top leagues in Italy, Norway, Austria, and Asia. Living in places that had different values and societal norms than what I was accustomed to was instrumental in my development as a person. Learning to work around ideological and cultural barriers has taught me a lot about communication, leadership and patience.
Three years into my professional career I started my own off ice training company, RIPT Hockey (now GMT – Give More Training. What started out as a hobby during my offseason’s has now turned into my full time business post playing career!
In 2025, I founded GMA (Give More Advising for hockey players 14 years old and up with two of my retired clients. We sold out all of the spots in 24 hours and will be looking to expand how many players we take on next season.
As of 2026 GMT has also had over 34,000 people use some form of my online training.
I am living proof that if you Give More Be, you will Be More and it has been my mission every single day to help as many people as possible to realize that!
Connect with Jeff LoVecchio:
Disclosure:
Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site. This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com
