Coaching Culture

If the big people aren't okay, the little people don't stand a chance. That is the idea psychologist Dr. Jody Carrington has built her career on, and it flips the entire athlete development conversation on its head. In part one of this two part conversation, JP sits down with Dr. Jody Carrington, a clinical psychologist and founder of Carrington and Company who has spent decades studying emotional...

Is your best leader always your best teammate? JP Nerbun, Betsy Butterick, and Nate Sanderson are not so sure, and the answer says a lot about how you build culture this season. This episode continues an ongoing conversation around JP's new book, The Culture Captain, with the group digging into Level Two: leading yourself before you ever try to lead anyone else. They unpack why the chapter on effo...

Making athletes work harder is one thing. Making athletes better is something else entirely — and Rustin Dodd draws that line clearly in this episode. In part two of JP Nerbun's conversation with Rustin Dodd and Elise Devlin of The Athletic's Peak section, the discussion moves from habits and rituals into the heart of transformational coaching. Elise covers Dan Quinn's player PowerPoint presentati...

Most coaches spend their careers shaping athletes. Rustin Dodd and Elise Devlin spend theirs learning from them — and what they've found might change how you coach. Rustin and Elise write NY Times feature, The Peak for The Athletic, a section devoted to the mental side of elite sports. In this episode with JP Nerbun, they unpack what a year of "I Tried" journalism has taught them: Ko...

JP Nerbun's 10-year-old daughter said something on the walk to the bus that stopped him cold: "She's climbing the mountain of achievement without any purpose." That one line is the heart of this entire conversation. This special episode drops on the launch day of JP's new book The Culture Captain — a field guide for athletes learning to lead from the inside out. JP sits down with longtime friend J...

What does it mean to truly know yourself — not perform yourself, not brand yourself for public approval, but honestly know who you are at your core? JP Nerbun, Betsy Butterick, and Nate Sanderson explore that question in this roundtable, the first in a four-part series on JP's new book, The Culture Captain. Betsy shares the story of an athlete and what she filled in her personal definition led...

Most coaches think they're having conversations with their athletes. Marcia Reynolds says they're mostly just talking. In this episode, JP Nerbun sits down with Marcia Reynolds — executive coach, neuroscience researcher, and author of Coach the Person, Not the Problem — to unpack the science of what makes a coaching conversation actually transformational. Marcia explains why telling athlet...

The Art of Communication: Finding Your Voice as a Coach JP Nerbun sits down with co-host Betsy Butterick to explore how intentional communication transforms athlete relationships, team culture, and coaching identity. TOC 3-2-1: 3 Quotes, 2 Questions, 1 Resource3 Quotes Worth Writing Down "Anytime someone says 'that's just who I am,' what immediately comes up for me is — no, that's who you've been....

🏆 What does "buy-in" actually mean and how do you build it as a leader? Every coach talks about buy-in. But most coaches struggle to define it, measure it, or create it in a consistent, repeatable way. In this episode, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterrick break down what athlete buy-in really is, what it's NOT, and give you a practical, systematic approach to building gen...

What does transformational leadership actually look like in practice? Father Mike Schmitz, 15-year director of the Newman Center at UMD, sits down with coaches to share the leadership principles, culture-building strategies, and mentorship frameworks that have transformed thousands of lives on a secular college campus. Whether you're a coach, team leader, manager, or anyone invested in buildin...

Every coach will face a culture killer on their team. Whether it's a star player with a toxic attitude, an athlete stirring drama behind the scenes, or a kid whose behavior is slowly poisoning team morale — knowing how to respond is one of the most critical leadership skills a coach can develop. In this episode of the Coaching Culture Podcast, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterrick ge...

Taking hard feedback is one of the most underrated leadership skills — and most of us are doing it wrong. In this episode, JP, Betsy, and Nate get real about the emotional side of criticism: why feedback feels so personal for coaches and leaders, how to regulate before you respond, and the mindset shift that turns brutal feedback into your greatest tool for growth. Whether you're a coach, athl...

In Part 2 of our conversation with New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle, we go deeper into the mechanics of building high-performance teams, psychological safety vs. brave spaces, and what 13 years inside the Cleveland Guardians organization has taught him about leadership development, team culture, and coaching from the inside out. Whether you're a coach, athletic director, team lea...

What does it take to build a truly flourishing team? NYT bestselling author Daniel Coyle (The Culture Code, The Talent Code) returns to share insights from his powerful new book Flourish — and this conversation will change how you think about leadership, team culture, and what it means to matter. We explore the difference between belonging and mattering, why psychological safety isn't enough,...

📧 Join the TOC Coach Community: https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about Are you a coach running on empty? In this episode of The Coaching Culture Podcast, host JP Nerbun sits down with co-hosts Nate Sanderson and Betsy Butterick to tackle one of the most overlooked challenges in sports leadership: coach burnout. Whether you're grinding through a losing season, leading disengaged athletes, or sim...

🤝 Join TOC Coach for FREE — Better Coaches, Better Leaders, Better Culture: https://www.skool.com/toccoachWhat does it really mean to lead with purpose? In Part 2 of our conversation with Justin Simpkins — founder of Prairie Hockey Academy (PHA), host of the Grit and Growth Podcast, and author of Significance Over Success — we go deep on transformational leadership, building character through spo...

How do you build a championship culture that goes beyond the scoreboard? Justin Simpkins, founder of Prairie Hockey Academy, shares how he turned a small-town Saskatchewan hockey program into one of Canada's premier character development academies — and why the secret to elite athletic leadership has nothing to do with winning. In this episode, we dive deep into transformational leadership in...

Can you build a high-performance culture if you're not developing yourself as a coach? In this episode of the Coaching Culture Podcast, JP is joined by Tyler and Mark from SAVI Basketball for a powerful conversation on coaching competency, leadership credibility, and why your effectiveness as a coach directly impacts your team culture. We dig into why "culture eats strategy for breakfast&...

Are you coaching your substitutes — or just managing them? 🏆In Part 2 of our conversation with Sammy Lander — specialist subs coach and founder of the Finishers Academy — we go deep into one of the most overlooked leadership challenges in sports: how to coach, develop, and inspire athletes who aren't in the starting lineup. Sammy brings battle-tested strategies from English professional socce...

🤝 Join TOC Coach for FREE — Better Coaches, Better Leaders, Better Culture: https://www.skool.com/toccoachWhat does it really mean for an athlete to matter — not just belong? In this episode, we sit down with Sammy Lander, the world's first Substitution Coach, to explore one of the most overlooked challenges in team sports: developing, empowering, and leading the athletes who aren't in th...

📬 Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolboxWhat does it actually take to lead at a high level without sacrificing everything else that matters? In Part 2 of our conversation with Brad Stulberg — performance coach, author, and co-founder of The Growth Equation — we dig into the real framework behind sustainable leadership excellence. If you're a c...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of "The Way of Excellence," as he shares groundbreaking insights on authentic leadership, team building, and sustainable high performance. Join TOC Coach for Free! https://www.skool.com/toccoachSubscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox 🔑 KEY LEADERSHIP TOPICS:✅ Excellence Fr...

Stop using accountability as a weapon and start using it as a tool for growth. In this episode, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterick break down why traditional "discipline" often fails and how to build a culture of mutual trust. Subscribe to join us for more discussions like this and go deeper with a FREE membership in the TOC Coach Community: https://www.skool.com/toccoach Sub...

In Part 2 of our conversation with performance nutritionist Daniel Davey, we go deeper into the psychology of behavior change and why traditional nutrition advice often fails. Daniel shares profound insights on coaching the person, not just the problem, and how childhood experiences shape our relationship with food. What You'll Learn: Daniel opens up about the influences that shaped his coachi...

Join us for an in-depth conversation with performance nutritionist Daniel Davey, who has worked with elite teams including Dublin senior football and Leinster Rugby. In this episode, Daniel shares the realities of creating lasting cultural change around nutrition and lifestyle habits in high-performance environments. What You'll Learn: Daniel reveals why presentations and workshops alone don&#...