Dr. Mark Guadagnoli

Dr. Mark Guadagnoli has worked in industry and academia for over three decades. He has taught/lectured at several universities including Harvard University, MIT, UCLA, and UNLV. Media appearances include New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, the London Times, the History Channel, and CBS Sports. Dr. Guadagnoli is one of the founding faculty members of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV where he developed and runs the Academy, a pivotal professional development initiative within the School. Dr. Guadagnoli’s passion is helping the best level up their lives.

Academics Background: Dr. Guadagnoli received his B.S. and M.S. degrees at Texas A&M University, and Ph.D. at Auburn University (Human Performance/Cognitive Psychology). He specializes in optimizing performance, communication, leadership, and learning. He has received numerous awards for this work (multiple time Teacher of the Year, Faculty of the Year, and Researcher of the Year). Dr. Guadagnoli has published more than 100 articles and abstracts and is the author of two books (Human Learning; Biology, Brain, and Neuroscience; and Practice to Learn, Play to Win). He is currently developing the Leadership and Learning Academy for the UNLV School of Medicine.

Performance: Dr. Guadagnoli has completed Stanford University School of Medicine’s Coach certification courses and the Harvard University School of Medicine Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare program, but his work is primarily guided by the Challenge Point Framework, which he developed to help optimize performance for individuals who compete in high-stakes environments. This includes athletes, corporate executives, medical professionals, and others. His model of learning shows that intelligent short-term challenges result in long-term and stress-resistant learning. Challenge Point has successfully been integrated with the neuroscience of Flow Theory and Mindset. He has been invited to present this work around the world including such countries as Canada, China, France, Germany, Mexico, and Scotland. Dr. Guadagnoli has also completed coaching courses with two Schools of Medicine (Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Harvard University School of Medicine).

Athletes. Dr. Guadagnoli has worked in performance optimization with athletes in several sports including the USA Olympic Elite Track and Field Coaches, basketball, golf, and tennis. His sport specialization is golf, where he has worked with winners on the LPGA and PGA tours, Ryder Cup members, NCAA Women’s National Championship team, NCAA Men’s Individual Champion, Canadian Men’s National Champions, and Men’s World #1 Amateur.

Corporate: Dr. Guadagnoli has had an active consulting practice for more than 25 years. He has worked in the area of performance optimization with individuals and companies (e.g., Zappos.com, Grammarly.com) including the development of corporate universities, executive off-sites, and performance optimizations with executive teams. Dr. Guadagnoli has also worked with corporate optimization and executive development with companies such as DaVita Healthcare Partners, and Walker & Co./Proctor & Gamble as well as research and consulting for Bose, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Google, Panasonic, and Sony. This work includes, for example, executive advising/coaching, core and culture development, and feedback and assessment systems.