Senior Advisor, Franklin Covey
Search every verified Stephen Young interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2025 FranklinCovey clip, Senior Advisor Stephen Young discussed how the principles of the "seven habits" changed his life, recounting a period in 1991 when he experienced "victimization, depression, anxiety" while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He described feeling that his purpose was "thwarted" and that he was "completely just self-focused." Young said that after speaking with his brother, he came to view his situation as a "platform" for self-improvement, asking himself, "how good can you be at this?" He stated that he became "a better teammate" and "a better leader" as a result. Young described vulnerability as "strength" and "the superpower," adding that "opening up and willing to take the risks" can lead to opportunities. He characterized the impact of the seven habits as "more than ripple effects" but "a tsunami of goodness," and said that teaching one person the principles could lead to them being passed on to "a thousand, 10,000, 100,000, a million, a billion people."
“The end in mind for me was this idea that the whole situation can be around self-improvement. Like focus on how good you can get, like how good can you be at this.”
“Vulnerability is strength. Vulnerability is the superpower. That's the amazing irony. Opening up and willing to take the risks.”
“Once you are willing to say that about yourself that I might not be where I think I am or I'm not sure I want to know, but I'm willing to dive in, that vulnerability will be the door to start to bring forward the opportunities that I think the seven habits bring to people.”
“It's more than ripple effects. It's a tsunami of goodness, right? It's this potential of what could be.”
This weekend's plays weren't just about touchdowns—they were about trust, communication, and keeping cool under pressure.
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