NCAA’s NIL Rule, Dad Lunch Notes, Social Media & Mental Health with Dr. Chris Yandle

My guest is HUGE in Korea! He's also fast-becoming famous here in the US.

Dr. Chris Yandle can thank his 8th-grade daughter, Addison, for worldwide fame and adulation. If not for her letting Dad know how much she enjoyed #DadLunchNotes, he might've stopped writing them.

As it were, the day Chris didn't slip a note into Addison's lunch, she asked what was up. That let Chris know she was not only reading his notes but enjoying them.

Following appearances on The Today Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and more recently, People magazine, Chris' book, Lucky Enough, is starting to sell like kimchi in Korea.

It's an incredible story.

Let's go back to August 2017. Chris was bummed about a job loss and thought writing an encouraging note to Addison might elevate his own mood (as well as encourage his daughter).

Regular listeners know I've long been a fan of handwritten personal-notes. Together with my recently becoming a #GirlDad, it's no wonder I bought Lucky Enough as soon I heard of it.

The book reminds me of How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (read my review and other book recommendations here), which ironically has been the most-recommended book on the podcast. Both books—Lucky Enough & "How to Win Friends"—make you want to serve others.

On this episode, we discuss high rates of anxiety & depression among teen girls. The numbers are staggering. After 2013, the percentage of adolescent girls suffering from mental health disorders jumped 250% (source: The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt). With this in mind, Chris & I discuss how parents can navigate today's hyper-connected online environment.

Chris is a native of South Louisiana. In a past-life, he was a college athletics administrator at "The U" (University of Miami), Georgia Tech & Baylor. I ask him how common it was to see high-profile alumni on campus. Guys like Jimmy Graham, Michael Vilma, Michael Irvin, Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Edgerin James. And whether having them hanging around the facilities helped with recruiting.

We also talk about NCAA’s new "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) policy. Chris believes one of the reasons he was pushed out of college athletics is because he didn’t like how student-athletes were treated. After all, coaches were making millions of dollars, while young men and women got nothing. But now, thanks to the new NIL rule, every NCAA athlete is given the opportunity to profit off their name, image, and likeness.

Chris is a strong advocate for higher education. He said he's always believed: you’ll get somewhere in life based on your education. In fact, he recalls a pivotal moment in high school when his teacher said to him, "You'll never amount to anything in life until jackasses learn how to fly."

His teacher's words left a mark. But by taking those words personally, they also inspired him. He found himself newly-motivated to get better grades. He earned a PhD.

Now 39 years old, Chris recently moved his family home to Louisiana. He said he's enjoying re-connecting with his daughter.

This conversation was the highlight of my week. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!