Punching Above the Norm: Dr. Paulie Gavoni on Behavior, Boxing, and Breakthroughs

In this high-energy conversation, Dr. Paulie Gavoni—Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author, international speaker, and founder of Heart and Science International—breaks down how behavior drives every result we care about. He traces his path from social work to ABA, from Golden Gloves champion to striking coach, and from turning around failing schools to transforming organizational cultures.

Paulie shares how adversity and one tough love moment at home pushed him back to school for leadership degrees and a doctoral-level ABA certification. He explains why “positional authority ain’t leadership,” and walks us through the four hats of leadership:
lead (inspire with the why), train (build skills), coach (generalize skills in the real world), and manage (sustain with systems and reinforcement).

You’ll hear practical takes on feedback (separate praise from correction; replace the “great… but” with “great… and to make it even better”), building consistent habits aligned to values, and taking calculated risks—from stepping into a boxing ring to writing a radically vulnerable book. Paulie also previews The Compass Room, a values-based alternative-to-suspension software designed to keep students learning while improving school culture.

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