30. The City that Lost a Million Pounds with Mick Cornett

Feeling Full

Today I am joined by Mick Cornett, who was the Mayor of Oklahoma City for 4 terms. One of the things about Mick that inspires me the most is how he takes big risks and embraces failure.

Thanks to his mindset and leadership, Oklahoma City turned from one of the “fattest cities in the country” to one of the healthiest, and so much more.

This conversation will inspire you to think bigger, take more chances, and cultivate a belief that anything is possible.

Highlights

• Mick saw that the city was always near the bottom of the health rankings.
• He wanted to do something to address it and also put a positive light on the city as well as the process of losing weight and becoming fit.
• Mick was a huge sports fan and wanted to be a sportscaster.
• He was assigned to cover a city council story and fell in love with what he saw while reporting.
• He was inspired and eventually ran for city council.
• Mick realized that the entire infrastructure of Oklahoma City was built for driving.
• There was almost no place to be active. No walkways, no bike paths, etc.
• They were also one of the largest drive-thru restaurant cities in the world per capita.
• Oklahoma City ranked high on the list of most obese cities in the United States.
• Mick had gained weight while being the mayor and realized that he was an example of that obesity ranking.
• As he started to take control of his weight and fitness some of the problematic issues with the city’s infrastructure became clear to him.
• Mick believes that at some point if you want to get to the next level, you have to make a conscious decision to “step up” and make changes.

Relevant Links

Micks Book - The Next American City

Ted Talk - How an obese town lost one million pounds

Book recommendation - Dynasty by Jeff Benedict