Duncan MacLeod, a seasoned US Navy Command Master Chief and Professor of Naval Studies, leverages his military discipline and leadership expertise to inspire personal growth and success.
With a master's degree and multiple certifications, he offers practical strategies for overcoming barriers in sports, academics, and life.
His approach is rooted in four principles:
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living intentionally
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continuous learning
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passionate service
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confident leadership
Duncan's blend of formal education and real-world experience, including parenting and coaching NCAA athletes, enables him to deliver powerful, actionable messages that resonate with diverse audiences.
His vision is to empower student-athletes to lead authentic, fulfilling lives.
About Duncan
Duncan MacLeod is a husband, father, speaker, and coach with a specific focus on helping individual’s mental strength and resilience. Duncan aims to provide relevant and practical information, tools, and actionable skills that can be used immediately. These tools, skills, and information fall under Duncan’s broad vision for overcoming barriers, strengthening mindset, creating and maintaining a present-moment focus, and achieving success.
Duncan’s vision is founded upon four key elements:
Live. Learn. Serve. Lead.
• Live: Live your life intentionally and authentically, embracing the lead role in your own story.
• Learn: Embrace mistakes as stepping stones to growth. Strive to learn continuously, becoming a lifelong learner.
• Serve: Passionately serve others according to their needs.
• Lead: Consciously choose to lead with confidence, becoming the type of leader you aspire to be.
A US Navy Command Master Chief, he is currently serving as a Professor of Naval Studies, as well as a leadership and mental strength coach. In recent years his mission has evolved to include enhancing the success of student-athletes in sports, school, and life through mental strength and performance coaching. As the father of a former D1 athlete and current D3 athlete, Duncan understands the challenges faced by student-athletes, their coaches, and parents.
The age demographic that makes up Duncan's primary audience (student-athletes) is the same age as junior Sailors in the Navy. Both groups of young people suffer from, and deal with, the same issues albeit in very different circumstances. The pressure to perform at a high level, balancing life's priorities, injury concerns, mental toughness, and team dynamics are some of the common challenges that young Sailors and student-athletes have to deal with. Duncan draws on his experience in the Navy, and similar concepts and methodologies the Navy uses to train "Warrior Toughness", to equip student-athletes with the knowledge and motivation to use that knowledge to be mentally stronger and more resilient in and out of the game.
Duncan is certified in Mental Performance Mastery (MPM) with Brian Cain, a recognized leader in mental performance coaching, a certified Navy Coach as well as certifications in building resilient teams (RBLP-T), temperament and emotional intelligence assessment (Four Lenses). These certifications complement his Master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Liberty University.
Speaking Topics
The Great Mental Reset
This talk will empower student-athletes to harness the power of mindset, focusing on process over outcome, making effective decisions and to reset their mindset better and faster. Duncan dives into the concept of fixed versus growth mindset, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and self-regulation. Attendees will learn to prioritize the journey over the destination, understanding that success is a result of consistent effort and learning from mistakes.
Duncan will also provide strategies for making better and faster decisions under pressure, a framework that will allow participants to navigate decision-making with confidence.
Finally, the audience will be guided through the process of developing a sustainable and repeatable mental reset process that will inspire a present-moment focus, to let go of issues and refocus in the moment. This talk will equip attendees with practical tools for mental resilience and peak performance in both academics and athletics.
Clarity in Chaos: Making Confident and Informed Decisions
In this speech Duncan emphasizes the importance of confidence and informed decision-making in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA*) environment. The speech will provide practical strategies for navigating uncertainty, maintaining confidence, and making sound decisions. It encourages the audience to embrace challenges, develop resilience, and seek clarity amidst chaos.
By empowering student athletes with the tools to thrive in a VUCA world, the speech aims to equip them with valuable life skills that extend beyond the sports arena.
*"VUCA" was first introduced in 1985 by economists Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus to describe management and leadership challenges in the corporate world and then it was used at the US Army War College in the 1990s to address the collapse of the USSR.
Embracing the Journey: Prioritizing Process Over Outcome
This speech looks at the importance of focusing on process over outcome and how it relates both fixed and growth mindsets. Drawing from the work of psychologist Carol Dweck, the speech highlights the differences between the two mindsets and provides real-life examples of what process over outcome looks like.
It emphasizes that a growth mindset, which believes in the development of abilities through dedication and hard work, empowers an individual to maintain a present-moment focus and mindfulness. On the flip side, a fixed mindset causes an individual to concentrate on the outcome of a situation increasing stress and the likelihood of failure.
