Essential Coaching Conversations

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Amy Peters, a clinical psychologist AND a tremendous basketball coach. She was Aseem's assistant coach at Worcester Academy, and is now the Associate Head Coach at BB&N in Cambridge, MA. We dive deep into the realm of psychology, identity, and how we as adults can help our players see past the perfection myth. All that and more on this episode of ECC! Resources...

Luka gets traded to the Lakers for...*checks notes*...Anthony Davis? Citing concerns of durability and wanting to win now? Weren't the Mavs just in the finals? Video of Jason Kidd's reaction: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aD658LkJe2I ESPN article: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43678217/luka-doncic-father-calls-mavericks-lakers-trade Good lord. All that and more on this episode of EC...

You may have a Jimmy Butler problem on your team. It's very possible you don't have A Jimmy Butler, but his situation in Miami may be indicative of a larger societal issue that is plaguing youth, high school, and college sport. Listen to the guys dive in and dissect. Video Referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDYEa0PbJF0&ab_channel=HouseofHighlights Article Referenced: https://e...

What the heck does "coach em up" mean? Why do we get into this time of year and either become complacent or feel like we have to change everything we are doing? What are the conspiracy theories and stories that coaches tell themselves to justify either their lack of preparation or why their team isn't performing the way they think they should. We all do it, we all did it, and we are...

What's the role of sport during crisis? How do we reconcile the need for "distraction," and the very real trauma that athletes, coaches, and HUMANS face when there is a crisis? We attempt to answer some of these questions in this episode, centered mostly around the reaction to the New Orleans terror attack and the wildfires in LA. If you'd like to help with the situation facing our neighbors in Ca...

A recent ESPN article highlighting Kevin O'Connell's approach as Head Coach of the Minnesota Vikings was a breath of fresh air. Listen as we discuss how coaching CAN be done this way, and Kevin O'Connell's unique (which shouldn't be, but it is) approach to connecting with players and building their confidence. Complete with quotes from the article, including by his colleagues and his players, we g...

We are back in 2025 with a new format and the same depth and conversation you expect from us! In this episode, we discuss a fairly viral clip that left us scratching our heads. Mick Cronin, head coach of the UCLA Men's Basketball team, took his frustrations with his team to the media in a post game press conference. Here's the clip (it's in the episode as well): https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEke...

Let's take a look back at the year for EC as well as get into the entire Doug Gottlieb saga going on at UW Green Bay. What a disaster! Hate to say we told you so, though. Link to article mentioned: https://www.bracketsbubblesandbidstealers.com/post/rise-and-shine-it-s-time-to-talk-about-green-bay Check out more content, questions, and resources here: Podcast: tinyurl.com/eccpod YouTube: youtube.co...

This week, we welcomed Wyatt Olson, the Associate AD for Internal Operations at Louisiana Tech University. The conversation centers around helping young people with transitioning out of athletics, into career, and more. Wyatt is an expert on leadership within organizations, and his story has so many relatable twists and turns for all of us who have built lives and careers through struggle and stri...

We are back! Trying something new this go around, seeing how it works. Let us know your thoughts on the episode! Check out more content, questions, and resources here: Podcast: tinyurl.com/eccpod YouTube: youtube.com/@essentialcoaching Medium: https://medium.com/@essentialcoaching TikTok: tiktok.com/@essentialcoaching

We are inspired by a lot of things, art being one of them. Recently, Kyle had a chance to head to an art museum in Dallas where it spurred his thinking about why we as coaches treat the game and our craft like some sort of plug and play exact science. Why can't we be creative? What stands in the way of creating something new or a new style to express our way of doing things? This was a great episo...

It's one of the most used Coachspeak phrases there is. If you hear this in recruiting, run the other way. If you use this phrase to describe yourself, it's time for some RACA. We can do better. We need to do better. The definition of brutal All that and more on this episode of Essential Coaching Conversations. Follow and DM us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Subscribe to...

We all have tech at our fingertips, but are we really using it to its fullest capability? We have Oura Rings, Apple Watches, FitBits, Whoop Bands, Catapult Systems, Teamworks...you name it - we have it. We're using Hudl and Synergy to optimize strategy, but how about actual performance? The guys take a deep dive into how we can use the latest tech, which most of our athletes have, to truly get...

The Olympics have come and gone and we noticed some REALLY awesome things that we hope everyone can benefit from. Listen in as we break down the Top 3 things we noticed, as well as what it was like to watch the Olympics in a different country other than the US. All that and more on this episode of Essential Coaching Conversations. Follow and DM us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastog...

Former tech executive April Burrows joins the pod to discuss her decision to take a career break. This episode is inspired by her LinkedIn post, where she very openly stated her desire to reflect and get clarity on what she wanted out of her career, life, and her experiences. A compelling episode chock full of tidbits to take away that should, hopefully, make you contemplate finding the time to ta...

It's CAMP SEASON! The guys are avid camp directors and LOVE everything there is to love about camp. In this episode, you'll get some best practices, great stories, and what NOT to do to ensure your summer camp is the best it can be. Camp is a vital recruiting opportunity for you and your community - let's get after it and make it awesome for the kids. Share with us, too, your best prac...

You know we had to talk about this. JJ Redick was introduced as the head coach of the LA Lakers after, checks notes, coaching 4th grade basketball, a 15 year pro career, being the founder of the "new media," and having a couple of podcasts and ESPN roles. What in the world? All that and more on this episode of Essential Coaching Conversations. Follow and DM us on Twitter: @coachessential...

Warning: This may devolve into "old guys reminiscing" about "back in my day," but stick with us - there's a point here. We dive deep into how PLAY, not sport, shaped us. And why PLAY matters and how we can recapture some of that magic in the current state of things. A great episode filled with good laughs and memories. We know you can relate! All that and more on this episo...

Ball is not life. There, we said it. In this episode, we dive into where sport is currently, what's missing, and the dehumanization of athletes and coaches into characters in a soap opera. Some very heavy questions, realizations, and clarity coming forth in a big way! All that and more on this episode of Essential Coaching Conversations. Follow and DM us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk42...

Do Adults Get in the Way? To be clear, we are not painting with a broad brush. There are plenty of adults - parents, coaches, administrators, etc, who do it the right way and empower kids to learn, grow, make mistakes, and set clear boundaries of acceptable behavior. However, as we've gone into the "architect parents" era - we can't help but wonder whether adults are doing more h...

What an absolute TREAT to have Becky Carlson, also known as the founder of The Fearless Coach, on the pod. Becky is currently the Head Women's Rugby Coach at Quinnipiac University, and alongside her duties there, she is an advocate for coaches and accountability in sport. There are so many great nuggets in this episode that will have you nodding along, questioning why we do things the way we d...

Happy 4th BIRTHDAY to us!! 4 years ago, on April 15, 2020, we hosted our first EC calls. Had no idea what we were doing, but we've learned a lot since then and we're here to share our reflections. Join us for a great chat - we hope you continue listening and sharing with us! Follow us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Check us out on YouTube: youtube.com/@essentialc...

We are back with Part II of Work/Life integration - termed as "turning it off" - specifically focused on the athletes we coach. Follow us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Check us out on YouTube: youtube.com/@essentialcoaching As always, visit our website at www.essential-coaching.net Shoot us an email at admin@essential-coaching.net DM's are always open for...

Work/Life balance as we know it is dead. It's all about integration, now. Fitting life around work and work around life to make it one big jumble. Part I focuses on the adults - how do we do it? Part II will focus on the kids. Follow us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Check us out on YouTube: youtube.com/@essentialcoaching As always, visit our website at www.essential...

Perfectionism is a hustle. Yet, our youth and subsequent generations are suffering at the hands of "perfect," being the enemy of their GOOD or GREAT. Perfect is not a thing. However, we can lean into the details that make Good, Better, and Best happen. How? Let's talk about it. Follow us on Twitter: @coachessential | @coachk424 | @rastogi_aseem Check us out on YouTube: youtube.com/@e...