Pre-Zero Sports Talk
Pre-Zero Sports Talk is a sports leadership podcast exploring high performance, coaching, athlete development, sports business, faith, purpose, innovation, sustainability, clean progress, and life beyond the game.
Hosted by Sid Bensalah, with over 30 years of global sports industry experience, the podcast brings honest, long-form conversations with athletes, coaches, leaders, founders, innovators, and changemakers.
This is not only a podcast about sport. It is about what sport reveals about people, how we lead, how we handle pressure, how we pursue meaning, and how we build lives, teams, and communities with purpose.
Through real conversations beyond the game, Pre-Zero Sports Talk explores leadership, performance, faith and purpose, identity, resilience, human potential, athlete well-being, coaching culture, community impact, sports governance, clean progress, sustainability, technology, innovation, and the future of sport.
No filter. No bias. Straight talk.
Subscribe and join real conversations on sport, leadership, faith, performance, purpose, community, impact, and life beyond the game.
Pre-Zero Sports Talk
Faith First, Purpose Always: Frank Kelly III on Leading with Heart
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In this powerful episode of the Pre-Zero Sports Talk Podcast, Sid interviews Frank Kelly III — former athlete, CEO of Kelly Benefits, coach, author, and faith-driven leader — to explore the deep links between sports, faith, business, and legacy.
Frank shares about growing up in a mission-focused family, how his time in Japan changed his perspective on success, and why spiritual grounding is essential in both the boardroom and the locker room. He reflects on servant leadership, loss, family, and how Scripture guides his leadership of over 500 people today.
We also explore the role of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, his inspiring writing journey, and his reaction to the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 – Intro and Guest Welcome
- 02:29 – Pope Leo XIV: Faith meets history
- 05:10 – Mission-driven family values
- 06:18 – Athletic journey at Cornell
- 10:02 – From performance to purpose
- 13:18 – Wrestling with faith and identity
- 16:10 – Saying “yes” to the family business
- 19:23 – Lessons from Japan and redefining success
- 23:14 – Running a scripture-guided business
- 32:13 – Family legacy and faith at scale
- 34:10 – Prayer, succession, and future vision
- 37:45 – Losing well and resilience
- 40:58 – The FCA story and empowering youth
- 47:20 – His books: Influence, The Creator’s Game, Look & See
- 53:43 – Restoring community and connection
- 58:47 – Lightning Round
- 01:03:04 – Final thoughts and outro
Key Takeaways:
- Faith and family are powerful leadership tools
- Resilience is shaped more by loss than by victory
- Servant leadership isn’t soft — it’s strategic
- Your business can reflect your beliefs — and still grow
- Legacy isn’t what you leave behind — it’s what you build daily
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Join host Sid Bensalah and the Pre-Zero Sports Talk community for real conversations beyond the game, where sport meets leadership, faith, performance, purpose, identity, community, and impact.
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