INTERVIEW | Make Money by Making Better Decisions with Dr. Ricardo Valerdi
Dr. Ricardo Valerdi is an engineer, social entrepreneur, sports scientist, and engineering professor at the University of Arizona who specializes in helping teams think clearly and make confident decisions. His work has helped organizations including SpaceX, the U.S. Army, Major League Baseball, and the NCAA, while his nonprofit Science of Sport has used sports to make STEM education more engaging for more than 700,000 students. Ricardo joins Travis to explore the intersection of data, intuition, sports, and decision-making—and how the lessons learned on the field can translate to business and life.
On this episode we talk about:
The tension between data-driven analysis and gut instinct when making decisions
How baseball provides a unique way to teach math, science, and data literacy to young people
Why confirmation bias can cause people to prioritize what they want to be true over what the data actually says
The importance of focusing on what you can control while accepting that outcomes involve uncertainty and luck
Why sometimes doing less can produce a better outcome than doing more
Ricardo’s “Five Tool Team” framework for building teams with complementary strengths
Top 3 Takeaways
Use data without ignoring context. The best decisions don't always come from choosing data or intuition exclusively. Understanding when to trust each—and recognizing when they conflict—is part of effective decision-making.
Control the controllables. You can control the quality of your decisions and your preparation, but you can't always control the outcome. Focusing on what you can influence helps you keep moving forward when circumstances don't go your way.
Build teams that fill your gaps. You don't need to personally possess every skill required for a great decision. Ricardo's Five Tool Team approach emphasizes bringing together people with complementary strengths so the team can collectively make better decisions.
Notable Quotes
“How do you make the best decision you can? Do you favor your gut or do you favor the data?”
“Desire creates blind spots.”
“Ultimately what changes your life is the decisions that you make with the card that you are dealt.”
Connect with Dr. Ricardo Valerdi:
Website: RicardoValerdi.com
Book: The Five Tool Team
Other: Science of Sport
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