How Soccer Explains Leadership Podcast

In Episode 76, our fourth off-season talk between Seasons 5 & 6, Phil talks with Paul about the long-awaited Coaching the Bigger Game program, which helps coaches elevate significance in sports by elevating self-leadership, leadership of their individual players, and leadership of their teams. As Coaching the Bigger Game strives to help coaches help themselves, their players, and teams flourish, w...

In Episode 75, our third off-season talk between Seasons 5 & 6, Paul talks with Phil about all things Warrior Way, from camps to consulting to helping vulnerable populations around the world. As Warrior Way encourages others to incorporate their faith into their play, we strive to be part of a movement that encourages a lifelong love for the game, leadership and character development, and human fl...

In Episode 74, our second off-season talk between Seasons 5 & 6, Paul talks about the developments in technology surrounding the game of soccer, how we can protect against its downside, and harness it for good and our development. Paul also reminds us about the time-tested, best-practice way to develop our personal skills. As we work to understand and harness technology for good, we strive to be p...

In Episode 73, our first off-season talk between Seasons 5 & 6, Phil talks about recent racial abuse and parent misconduct, how we can fight against it, and how parents and coaches can use the game to teach our kids how to rise above the fray and do the next right thing. We are hoping to be part of a movement that encourages a lifelong love for the game, leadership and character development, and h...

In Episode 72, Phil and Paul discuss the highlights and lessons gleaned from the conversations we were able to have with David Ricca , Jay Demerit , Phil Smith , and Dan Abrahams during the second half of Season 5. Resources and Links from this Episode Uncut Video of the Episode HSEL Facebook Group Coaching the Bigger Game information Warrior Way information Phil Darke's email address The Challeng...

In Episode 71, Dan Abrahams, Sports Psychologist, best-selling author of four books, Founder of the Dan Abrahams Soccer Academy and The Sport Psych Show Podcast, and former pro golfer, talks with Phil about his sports psychology work, his books, and his podcast, the concepts of "Teamship" and motivational climate, extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation, pre-failing, self-leadership, his personal why,...

In Episode 70, Phil Smith, Vice-Chairman and Owner of Sixth-Division Ossett United FC, former NY Yankees and Manchester United Executive, Owner of NERF rights in UK, Europe, and Middle East, and much more, talks with Phil about lessons learned during his playing days and his experience as  an executive for a couple of the biggest teams in the world, his personal why, and the importance of leaders...

In Episode 69, Jay Demerit, Chief Energy Officer of Rise and Shine and former USMNT player, and former Captain of Watford FC and Whitecaps FC, talks with Phil about the pros and cons of specialization, self-leadership, self-belief, his personal why, the "inside" and "outside" game, what we can learn about leadership from the bench, and the work he is doing with Rise and Shine. Specifically, Jay di...

In Episode 68, David Ricca, NJ Youth Soccer Innovate to Grow Consultant, Founder/President of Just Live Soccer, 9/11 Survivor, Soccer Resilience Ambassador, Member of 2010 World Cup Media & Marketing team, former soccer player, coach, and scout, former MLS Liaison, former CBS Manager, and former Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor, discusses how he has used soccer and other tools to overcome the PTSD...

In Episode 67, Paul and Phil discuss the recent USC Convention, a preview of the second half of Season 5, a recap of the first half of the season, and the leadership lesson we can learn from Episodes 9 & 10 of Ted Lasso. Specifically, we discuss: What Paul and Phil took away from the recently-held United Soccer Coaches Convention in KC, and some new things Paul is working on (1:56) What's to come...

In Episode 66, Aaron Locks, CEO and Founder of the National Academy of Athletics, talks with Phil about the importance of failure in success, three important questions he asks himself every day, the Pyramid of Success and what he learned from working with John Wooden, his definition of leadership and success, secrets of successful youth coaches, synergistic collaboration, and how leadership is lik...

In Episode 65, Robbie Handy, Health and Wellness Coach and Former Head Coach of William Jessup University and Yuba College, talks with Phil about the differences between a head and assistant coach role, his coaching philosophy, how he measures success, why he left soccer coaching and started a different type of coaching, humility and learning, controlling the controllables, and the central role of...

In Episode 64, Tony Everett, Founder and Chief Play Maker of Pure Game, Founder of Personal Best Coaching, coach, and footballer, talks with Phil about Pure Game's work with vulnerable children in Southern California, learning self-control through walking soccer, goal setting, his life coaching program, surrounding yourself with people smarter and better than you, the importance of writing your ow...

In Episode 63, Cheryl McCormick, Founder of Gravitational Performance, Sports Research Scientist, and multi-sport athlete, kicks off Season 5 and talks with Phil about her work as a Sports Research Scientist, nutrition, sports psychology, and rest & recovery as prevention, individualized coaching and coursework, her personal why, what she learned from playing multiple sports, and, of course, wheth...

In Episode 62, we are capping off 2021 and ringing in 2022 with 20 great leadership lessons (plus a couple bonus nuggets) from our interviews over the past year. There is so much more wisdom in the full interviews, which you can listen to at the links below or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also, if you want to go deeper in 2022 as a leader and coach, we are launching Coaching the Bigger Ga...

In Episode 61, in honor of her recent move to Baylor Women's Soccer, we are recasting our interview with Michelle Lenard, new Head Coach of Baylor University Women's Soccer and former DBU Head Coach, in which she talks with Phil about how to "steal like an artist," her Leadership Council at DBU, how her team has used the Enneagram, what the game "Cutthroat" can teach us about leadership, setting a...

In Episode 60, Phil and Paul share their "Best of 2021" lists and what they have learned about life and leadership from the ups and downs that 2021 has brought them and their families. Resources and Links from this Episode Uncut Video of the Episode HSEL Facebook Group Coaching the Bigger Game Program Warrior Way Program Info on DISC Training Phil's email address – phil@howsoccerexplainsleadership...

In Episode 59, our first off-season talk between Seasons 4 & 5, Phil and Paul talk about how we as coaches (and parents) can cultivate environments where our players can flourish, in an effort to counter the toxic cultures in youth soccer that wreck our children. We are hoping to be part of a movement that encourages a lifelong love for the game, leadership development, and human flourishing, rath...

In Episode 58, Phil sat down with Paul Jobson for an exclusive interview about his recent decision to step down from his Head Coach position at Baylor University Women's Soccer after 14 years at the helm. Paul and Phil also discuss some highlights and takeaways from the incredible interviews we have had during the second half of Season 4. Specifically, Paul and Phil discuss: The "why" behind Paul'...

In Episode 57 of How Soccer Explains Leadership, in honor of our co-host's recent announcement that he is stepping down from his head coaching role at Baylor and just because I (Phil) am so grateful for him, we are re-casting the first-ever HSEL interview with Paul, (now) Former Head Coach of Baylor Women's Soccer and current co-host of HSEL, who talked with Phil about his coaching philosophy, ide...

In Episode 56, Kassie Gray, Founder/Director of Female Footballers and former Cal soccer player, talks with Phil about her mission and vision to help young girls focus on the mental aspects of sports, the value of playing multiple sports, the importance of mentors, preventing burnout, and what excites and disappoints her about soccer in America. Specifically, Kassie discusses: Her story, how she d...

In Episode 55, Aaron Blue, CEO of The Charis Project in Thailand, talks with Phil about how he ended up working with people on the Thailand/Burma border, how soccer is an integral part of his ministry, why soccer is such a powerful cross-cultural tool, and how his soccer coaches in his early years impacted him for reasons you wouldn't expect. Specifically, Aaron discusses: His story, how he develo...

In Episode 54, Zac Hoffman, Author of Finding the Good Life as a SWALeader and former professional American football player in Europe, talking with Phil about intercultural competence, leading effectively in a foreign country, humility, playing American football in Europe, mental toughness and resilience, and helping players to overcome adversity. Specifically, Zac discusses: His story, how he dev...

In Episode 53, Jesse Bradley, Pastor of Seattle Grace Community Church, Dartmouth College Men's Soccer Alum, and Former Professional in Scotland and Zimbabwe, talks with Phil about developing healthy mindset and habits, finding our purpose, developing muscle memory in our decision-making, collaboration in leadership, healthy and toxic teams, leading with confidence and clarity, identity formation,...

In Episode 52, Paul and Phil recall some of the highlights of the first half of Season 4 and continue their conversation about the leadership genius of Ted Lasso, Coach Beard, and Nate the Great, covering Episodes 7 & 8 of the show. Specifically, they discuss:   Highlights from the interviews we had with Diego Bocanegra, Lance Key, Will Russell, and Tracy Hamm in the first half of Season 4 (2:47)...