Do the Hustle

Life Lessons from Studio 54, the Championship Lacrosse Field, and the Boardroom

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Published by: Munn Avenue Press ‎
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Pages: 220
ISBN13: 978-1969679353

 
OVERVIEW

What if the biggest lessons in business and life came not from classrooms, boardrooms, or balance sheets, but from disco lights, devastating knee injuries, and hard-earned second chances? Life isn’t a straight line to the top. It’s a hustle. 

From NCAA lacrosse champion to Studio 54 regular to public company CEO, Don Kurz has moved through wildly different worlds and carried a lesson out of every one of them. In Do the Hustle, he takes readers on a high-energy tour through the wins, wipeouts, and late-night detours that shaped his philosophy on work, passion, and resilience.

Blending humor, heart, and hard-earned insight, Kurz shows how to turn failure into fuel, trust your instincts even when they shake, and reinvent yourself every time the beat changes. Whether he is building a billion-dollar brand or rebuilding himself after a fall, his message is constant: Success is not a straight line; it is a dance. And every step counts.

Inside you will learn about:

The "Sunk Cost" Trap: Why your gut is smarter than your lawyer and how to know when to fold a business, end a marriage, or walk away from a "sure thing" before it destroys you;

The "Can’t Will It" Principle: Why you can’t force an outcome  and why chasing a goal you’ve lost passion for is a recipe for disaster;

Grit Over Genius: Why outworking everyone else beats outsmarting everyone else every single time;

The Art of the Pivot: How Kurz went from devastating knee injuries ending his lacrosse career to a disco dance instructor and from a corporate consultant to an entrepreneurial leader—and how you can find your own defensible advantage; and

Managing Catastrophe: How to handle true crises—like the tragic recall of 100 million toys—with integrity, empathy, and a level head.

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned executive facing burnout, or someone looking for the courage to start your next chapter, this book is your permission slip to let go of regret.

Life is unfair. The market doesn't care about your plans. But if you can learn to accept reality, embrace the chaos, and trust your gut, you won't just survive the dance—you’ll own the floor.

Stop fighting the tape. Start doing the hustle.

 

PRAISE

“I've known Don long enough to see that the hustle isn’t just something he talks about, it’s how he lives. From winning an NCAA championship at Johns Hopkins to reinventing himself under the lights of Studio 54, and later building and leading companies at the highest level, Don understands that greatness isn’t linear. His “don’t fight the tape” philosophy is hard-earned wisdom from someone who’s faced real setbacks, made bold moves, and kept dancing anyway. For athletes, founders, or anyone navigating the next turn in their life, this book is a reminder that the hustle isn’t about force. It's about feel.”
—Paul Rabil- Co-founder of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL), Member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and author of The Way of the Champion

"In our industry, resiliency is like oxygen. Don Kurz has practiced it at every stage of his life, from athlete to entrepreneur to steward of a world-class creative engine. Do the Hustle distills invaluable lessons in accepting what is, trusting your gut, and pivoting instead of panicking. It’s vulnerable, surprising, and deeply human - proof that adversity, handled with intention and grace, can become the best competitive advantage... in business and in life."
—Michael Kassan, Founder & CEO of 3C Ventures,  American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Fame Inductee, Ultimate Power Broker

"At Hopkins, we work more on our standards than our slogans — relentless work ethic, elite execution, and always being great teammates. Don has lived these standards his whole life and now he is sharing his experience with everyone. Do the Hustle is a blueprint for the mindset and the tactical plan. It captures the discipline, sacrifice, and mental toughness that define great teams, and shows how those same standards lead to success far beyond the field."
—Peter Milliman- Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach, Johns Hopkins University, former Head Lacrosse Coach at Cornell University and three-time collegiate All-American player 

 

Excerpt

Introduction

An Invitation

Reading this book and following its principles will lead to a happy and fulfilling life. While it took me sixty years, and more ups and downs than an advanced burpee fitness class, I am now living proof of this.

Unfortunately, I made many mistakes and operated with distorted priorities for most of my adult life—making and losing sizable fortunes multiple times, experiencing a painful and expensive divorce, and generally living with a level of angst that was ultimately unproductive and at times highly unpleasant. Don’t get me wrong; I lived large in a number of forums, from captaining my high school championship football and lacrosse teams and being elected to its Athletic Hall of Fame, to playing on an NCAA Division 1 national champion lacrosse team, to being in the heart of the disco craze (including losing my senses at iconic clubs like Studio 54). I was honored to be elected by my beloved alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, to two six-year terms on the board of trustees and then an emeritus trustee for life. I have had substantial business success as a partner in a major global consulting firm and multiple entrepreneurial ventures. But the business success formula is available in plenty of other books, from more qualified authorities than I. No, this is about fundamental life lessons that are available to anyone with a keen sense of self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

My sincere hope is that my life lessons will help you, my dear reader, live a happy and fulfilling life no matter the circumstances you find yourself in.