Coaching Culture

In this episode, JP and Nate visit with special guest Ryan Hawk. He was formerly the quarterback at Miami University. After finishing his playing career, he started The Learning Leader Show (Podcast). Ryan is the author of two books - Welcome to Management: How To Grow From Top Performer To Excellent Leader and The Pursuit of Excellence: The Uncommon Behaviors of The World’s Most Productive Achiev...

Experience in leadership is both undervalued and overrated. Some things must be experienced to be understood. John Dewey said, “We do not learn from experience... We learn from reflecting on experience.” In this episode, JP and Nate discuss the intentional process that coaches should have as seasons come to an end. √ Prioritize the process of post season evaluations √ Assess the most precious comm...

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent book is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . In Part 1 of this series, JP, Nate, and Steve discussed the dangers of leading with fear. In this episode (Part 2), JP and Nate visit with Steve about coaches that actually lead out of fear ,...

Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . Collectively, his books have sold more than half a million copies. In this episode, JP and Nate visit with Steve...

Coaching is challenging. Decisions can be questioned, players can be difficult, and parents can be major disruptors - causing significant issues that seem to steal any joy from the profession. This job takes courage. Choosing the transformational path is not an easy one. In this episode, JP and Nate discuss this topic of courage and openly share from their own personal experiences. √ Transformatio...

Eric Lang is the Head Coach of the American International College Men’s Hockey team. He has had great success at his alma mater not just on the ice, but within his program as a transformational coach. This episode is the 2nd of a 2-part conversation. Eric gives many practical ideas for leadership, practice planning, and ways to propel players to be great. √ Radical transparency of mistake ownershi...

In 2016, Eric Lang took over as Head Coach of the American International College Men’s Hockey team. The previous season prior to his arrival, they were ranked 60 of 60 Division I NCAA hockey teams. In three years, they became a Top-25 team, and a nationally recognized program. In this episode, he shares how he has invested in the people under his care, raised his standards, and held his players ac...

True change starts on the inside and these internal changes have a significant external impact. After reading Yung Pueblo’s book, Clarity & Connection , JP connected these truths to the journey of a coach. In this conversation between JP and Nate, they share stories from past experiences and how those memories can trigger anxious feelings if they are not replaced with assurances and affirmatio...

Being able to process the criticism that comes from the job is a key component to the coaching profession. People are emotionally invested into your team - regardless of the level of coaching. In December of 2020, Sports Illustrated released an article criticizing our guest’s leadership role with the Houston Texans. Within the article, there was not one cited source or individual. When criticism a...

Many years ago, a strength and conditioning coach was unheard of and now it’s certainly become the norm. In the last decade, coaches that specialize in leadership and team culture have seen a spike in desirability for programs. Moving forward, this type of coaching position is going to continue to grow in demand. One of the most experienced character and culture coaches in the world, Jack Easterby...

One of the most frustrating things in the culture of coaching is the notion that all coaches have to grind all day, every day to be successful. Our return guest on this episode is Cody Royle and he says, “The constant grind of coaching is actually grinding coaches into the ground.” JP and Nate seek answers for the question: How and when do we leave coaching? √ Get out of fear-based situations ASAP...

“Good coaches are quitting, preferring to walk away than put themselves and their families through the lifestyle.” This quote on social media by our (return) guest on the podcast, Cody Royle, is the topic of this episode. Most recently, he released his book: The Tough Stuff . In this episode, JP and Nate discuss even more of 'the tough stuff' that coaching requires. √ Understanding the cause of th...

The end of the year and the end of the season bring a lot of reflection. Most, if not all, coaches vow to be better before each season or year begins. Yet, we oftentimes find ourselves in the same ruts with the same burnt-out thoughts tempted to blame or shame our players and spend more and more time at the office by the time mid-season frustrations set in. In this episode, JP and Nate discuss per...

The COO of marine canvas company SewLong, Clint Halladay, continues the conversation with JP and Nate on this episode - Part 2. In 2020, Clint reached out to JP about the mentorship program - intended for his youth soccer team. Since then, he and JP have consistently had discussion, which led to Clint’s story also being featured in Chapter 4 (Personal Disciplines) of JP’s newest book - The Culture...

The COO of marine canvas company SewLong, Clint Halladay, joins JP and Nate on this episode. In 2020, Clint reached out to JP about the mentorship program - intended for his youth soccer team. Since then, he and JP have consistently had discussion, which led to Clint’s story also being featured in Chapter 4 (Personal Disciplines) of JP’s newest book - The Culture System. Clint shares many experien...

Playing time. It is without a doubt the most common confrontational issue at all levels in all sports. Players, and even parents, are often irrational and biased about what they or their kid(s) deserve when it comes to playing time. Coaches must make a point to communicate roles and set the expectations as honest and upfront as possible. This strategy is not bulletproof, but it is beneficial in ma...

From one of the greatest sports clubs of all time - the New Zealand All Blacks, guest Sean Fitzpatrick ( @SFitzpatrick92 ) joins the podcast for Part 2 of our conversation. He is one of the greatest rugby players to ever do it. The All Blacks have an extraordinary record but even more impressive is the value they place on character! In this episode, Sean shares more about his role as a team captai...

From one of the greatest sports clubs of all time - the New Zealand All Blacks, guest Sean Fitzpatrick (@SFitzpatrick92) joins the podcast. He is one of the greatest rugby players to ever do it. He set a world record with 63 consecutive appearances for New Zealand before retiring in 1997 after 11 years. The All Blacks have an extraordinary record but even more impressive is the value they place on...

Most coaches know that an extraordinary culture is the secret to an extraordinary team, but how do you create a strong team culture when the culture itself is so complex and always evolving? The good news is the process of creating a culture can be simple and almost effortless when you take a systematic approach. Extraordinary team cultures don't just come together by chance. They are intentionall...

JP and Nate discuss the issue that every coach will face sooner or later - the player that is rude, resistant, or rebellious. Navigating these situations starts with a better understanding; a mindset shift. The three-pronged approach shared in this episode is certain to improve the player-coach relationship, as well as the overall health of your program. √ Start with a better understanding √ Find...

Jason Caldwell is an American world-class athlete, a leadership and high-performance coach, and keynote speaker. Previously a Div-I baseball player groomed for greatness from an early age, Jason was derailed by injury and unexpectedly recruited to the collegiate rowing team. Most recently, the movie documentary Chasing , has brought to life Jason’s passion for something greater. His crew rowed 3,0...

Jason Caldwell is an American world-class athlete, a leadership and high-performance coach, and keynote speaker. Previously a Div-I baseball player groomed for greatness from an early age, Jason was derailed by injury and unexpectedly recruited to the collegiate rowing team. Most recently, the movie documentary Chasing , has brought to life Jason’s passion for something greater. His crew rowed 3,0...

Jason Caldwell is an American world-class athlete, a leadership and high-performance coach, and keynote speaker. Previously a Div-I baseball player groomed for greatness from an early age, Jason was derailed by injury and unexpectedly recruited to the collegiate rowing team. Most recently, the movie documentary Chasing , has brought to life Jason’s passion for something greater. His crew rowed 3,0...

A player’s confidence is fragile and is often thought to be in the coach’s hands. If you’ve coached long enough, you have likely been accused of killing a player’s confidence. Coaches may get defensive when facing the blame for a player's crisis in confidence, but it's worth examining the coach's role in helping to build and maintain a player's faith in themselves. At the same time, we would all l...

Stress can help us rise to a challenge, connect with others, and learn and grow. Everybody has various stress habits that are strengths, often relying on them when we need them. But in order to get stress to work for us, there are other coping strategies that don’t come naturally for us and that is what our guest, Kelly McGonigal - the author of the book The Upside of Stress , discusses in this ep...