With Veteran's Day rooted in Armistice Day (which ended World War I), this episode of the Team Powdered Donut™ podcast is dropping at the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," when the peace agreement, the armistice, was signed. Like Arena Labs, Brian Ferguson is driven by a deep commitment to serving others, making him a perfect guest for this special Veteran's Day episode.
Although Gary's powdered donut tradition was born from his late wife, Maureen’s, passing from #metastaticbreastcancer, Team Powdered Donut's "one thing" ethos is bigger than cancer. Bigger than disease. Arena Lab's manifesto puts it best. It is about "The Service Archetype."
Arena's manifesto reflects their belief in the power of service and the responsibility we all share to support those who protect, heal, and advance society. Arena’s mission is to set a higher standard in healthcare by empowering frontline professionals with the tools and knowledge to thrive in their sacred calling. Their manifesto truly reflects their founder.
From the shores of Lake Erie to Miami University, as well as 20 years in high-performing teams across national security, special operations, and sports, Brian has indeed been in the arena. Was great to have him "in the (virtual) studio," too. Excited to share our conversation with you now. So many great stories and nuggets of wisdom.
Who Is Brian Ferguson?
Brian has spent his career working in high-performance organizations, learning from leaders and decision-makers in US national security, the military, and emerging technology. He has used those experiences to build Arena Labs, a company pioneering the field of High Performance Medicine ® and working across healthcare, elite military, the performing arts and professional sports.
Arena Labs partners with the top surgical, trauma, ICU and emergency department teams to use human performance data as a means of reducing medical error. By providing frontline doctors and nurses with tools and frameworks used by the world’s top performers under pressure, Arena Labs is redefining healthcare and using lessons-learned from hospitals for best-practices in sport, business and the military.
In 2018 Brian also co-founded The Liminal Collective, a unique human performance company focused on “enabling humanity’s boldest endeavors” in space travel, deep sea
exploration, and advancing the science of human creativity and expression. Earlier in his career Brian served in the military as a Navy Officer where he deployed to Afghanistan and various parts of the Middle East while being heavily involved in emerging technology and human performance efforts across special operations. Prior to joining the military, he worked in national security in both the Pentagon and the White House.
Brian is an advisor to the Brooklyn Nets and on faculty at Singularity University in Silicon Valley. He remains heavily involved in Veteran transition programs.
