In this relaxed and entertaining episode, host Joshua Stein sits down with Ryan Stimac — corporate executive, youth baseball coach, and proud Indiana Hoosier — for a conversation that blends friendship, fatherhood, sports, and life lessons.

Ryan shares his journey from small-town Illinois to a 20-year career with Colgate-Palmolive, reflecting on leadership, corporate life, and the importance of culture in business. The two neighbors and baseball dads trade stories over a glass of Pappy Van Winkle 15-year, diving into parenting in the digital age, coaching philosophies, golf trips, and the power of keeping youth teams together for the long haul.

They also talk about Ryan’s wife Ali’s growing social media presence (@lovedbyalijoy), the value of creativity, and setting a positive example for their kids. The episode wraps with laughs about Halloween costumes, “Olympic games” among friends, and Ryan’s lifelong devotion to Indiana University — including his experiences with Bobby Knight, his unexpected college love story, and the Hoosiers’ football resurgence under Curt Cignetti.

This one’s got it all — bourbon, ball, business, and Bloomington.

Show Notes

🎧 Topics Covered

• • The art of conversation and being “where your feet are”
  • Parenting and teaching kids social connection in a tech-heavy world
  • The story behind Ryan and Ali’s move to Georgia and life in East Cobb
  • Coaching youth baseball at East Side and keeping teams together through the years
  • Coaching style: balancing discipline, empathy, and fun
  • Lessons from corporate life at Colgate-Palmolive
  • What people get wrong about “corporate America”
  • Funny stories from his early career — from breaking a co-worker’s nose in softball to unleashing the “I Love You” virus
  • Planning the perfect golf trip (hint: it’s about the people, not the scorecard)
  • Ali Stimac’s creative journey as a lifestyle influencer and the importance of being a creator, not a consumer
  • Annual Halloween costume competitions with Mike Felberg (Ted Lasso, Step Brothers, Twins, and more)
  • Backyard “Olympics” and Ryan’s dominance in Pop-A-Shot and cornhole
  • Indiana University memories: Bobby Knight protests, meeting Ali on move-in day, and Hoosier pride
  • Indiana football’s incredible rise under Curt Cignetti and life as a newly-minted “football school”
  • Bourbon, friendship, and community — why great conversations matter
  
  

• • “Whoever’s in front of me is the most important person right then.”
  • “Fair isn’t equal — I’ll treat every kid differently based on what they need.”
  • “I don’t care if I’m selling toothpaste or telephones — it’s the people that make the difference.”
  • “Be a creator, not a consumer.”
  • “Indiana football is two years old — and we’re just getting started.”