PASSIONATE PROFESSIONALS
PEOPLE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR CAREERS
Contrary to popular belief, people who are passionate about their careers don't sacrifice making money. They are actually among the highest income earners, love what they do, lead people, and make impact in their organizations.
"My experience and research have increasingly made me aware of the dreadful importance of falling in love with “something” –a dream, an image of the future. I am convinced that the driving force behind future accomplishments is the image of the future of people."
-E. Paul Torrance (The Importance of Falling in Love with Something)
Introduction
Paul Thiebaut III started his journey developing his passions by studying professionals who discovered or created their careers by developing their passions. Here are two case studies Paul has written about Passionate Professionals: (1) Mike Kunda: From Rocky To Top Tour Company, (2) Einstein Was Not A Genius.
Watch Paul's interview with Mike Kunda
Featured Passionate Professionals
Mike Kunda
Mike pursued his passion for Rocky from age 11 until starting the top rated Rocky tour company in his 30s. "I do not take the inspiration of Rocky lightly, it's my motivating force in life."
Watch Paul Thiebaut III's interview with Mike Kunda
Nick Bollettieri
Nick revolutionized tennis academies by creating an unconventional approach to teaching tennis.
“All the breakthrough innovators I studied invested heavily in self-education. They were avid consumers of knowledge, but they followed their own rhythms rather than an instructor’s pace. They went deeply into a topic or broadly across topics they chose rather than following the path of the syllabus. They were fueled by intrinsic motivation — a true love of learning — even if they had no love for school.” (Schilling, 2018)
Ronda Rousey
Ronda pursued her passion for Judo to win a metal at the 2008 Olympics and became the first woman to dominate the UFC. Have you seen her arm bar!?
Mat Hoffman
Mat reinvented the BMX profession by learning anything necessary to keep biking. He figured out how to build the biggest ramp ever, then learned to start businesses so he could keep riding.
Steve Madden
Steve hung out in shopping malls for three days at a time watching shoes shuffle by. He turned his love of shoes and unique way of looking at them into a one of a kind shoe company.
More Documentaries About Passionate Professionals
Sylvester Stalone - Sly (2023)
Jake Paul - Problem Child (2023)
Mike Kunda - The Pretender (2020)
Fred Beckey - Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey