Way of Champions Podcast

It is with a heavy heart that we replay this podcast this week, as we lost a truly great family man, leader, and mentor in the space of coaching, leadership and human development, Dr. Greg Dale. He was only 60 years old and left us far too soon, with so much more to give. He was a massive supporter of this podcast, Way of Champions, Changing the Game Project, and many others in the field of sport...

Thank you for helping us reach 300 episodes of the podcast! To celebrate we will go to one of our earliest guests, and great friend of our work John Kessel. John recently retired from USA Volleyball (USAV), where he had worked since 1985, most recently as the Director of Sport Development. He is one of the most sought after coach educators and speakers in the coach development space. John served a...

Thank you for helping us reach 300 episodes of the podcast! To celebrate we will go to one of our earliest guests, and great friend of our work John Kessel. John recently retired from USA Volleyball (USAV), where he had worked since 1985, most recently as the Director of Sport Development. He is one of the most sought after coach educators and speakers in the coach development space. John served a...

Bill Eckstrom (@ecsellsports) is the CEO and founder of Ecsell Institute, the parent company of Ecsell Sports, Ecsell Business and Ecsell Education. Bill's robust professional career path has encompassed sales, sales leadership, executive leadership with private and publicly traded companies, and as a founder of start-ups. In 2008, he established EcSell Institute to fill a void he witnessed and pe...

Bill Eckstrom (@ecsellsports) is the CEO and founder of Ecsell Institute, the parent company of Ecsell Sports, Ecsell Business and Ecsell Education. Bill's robust professional career path has encompassed sales, sales leadership, executive leadership with private and publicly traded companies, and as a founder of start-ups. In 2008, he established EcSell Institute to fill a void he witnessed and pe...

This week on the podcast we take a deep dive into what exactly is abusive coaching and how parents and coaches can take steps to stop it. To do so we gathered three experts in the field of bullying and coaching abuse to join John and Jerry for a fascinating discussion.  Dr. Amy Saltzman a holistic physician, mindfulness coach, long-time athlete, and a member of the US Soccer Participant Safety Tas...

This week on the podcast we take a deep dive into what exactly is abusive coaching and how parents and coaches can take steps to stop it. To do so we gathered three experts in the field of bullying and coaching abuse to join John and Jerry for a fascinating discussion.  Dr. Amy Saltzman a holistic physician, mindfulness coach, long-time athlete, and a member of the US Soccer Participant Safety Tas...

Grete Eliassen (@grete.ski) is a Red Bull sponsored professional skier, 6x Winter X Games Medalist, and world record holding half pipe and free skier. She started out as a national team ski racer from Norway, winning the GS in the World Junior Championships, before pursuing her free skiing passion. She won multiple US Opens, Dew Tour events, and has appeared in numerous Warren Miller ski films. In...

Grete Eliassen (@grete.ski) is a Red Bull sponsored professional skier, 6x Winter X Games Medalist, and world record holding half pipe and free skier. She started out as a national team ski racer from Norway, winning the GS in the World Junior Championships, before pursuing her free skiing passion. She won multiple US Opens, Dew Tour events, and has appeared in numerous Warren Miller ski films. In...

Captain Ryan Bernacchi, USN (Ret.) is a retired naval officer who possesses a unique background in aviation, leadership, high performance teamwork, and organizational culture. During his distinguished 25-year career in the Navy his notable positions include the Commanding Officer and Flight Leader of the Blue Angels, command of a fleet Super Hornet squadron, and TOPGUN Instructor, with worldwide d...

This week on the podcast, Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan answer some questions sent to us by our Patreon Podcast Champions. These are our biggest supporters, and we gave them the chance to ask us anything. The most popular type of questions revolved around some recent topics, including: using physical exercise as punishment do we need a national sports governing body in the US? If my club or scho...

This week on the podcast, Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan answer some questions sent to us by our Patreon Podcast Champions. These are our biggest supporters, and we gave them the chance to ask us anything. The most popular type of questions revolved around some recent topics, including: using physical exercise as punishment do we need a national sports governing body in the US? If my club or scho...

Captain Ryan Bernacchi, USN (Ret.) is a retired naval officer who possesses a unique background in aviation, leadership, high performance teamwork, and organizational culture. During his distinguished 25-year career in the Navy his notable positions include the Commanding Officer and Flight Leader of the Blue Angels, command of a fleet Super Hornet squadron, and TOPGUN Instructor, with worldwide d...

Raymond Verheijen (@raymondverheije) is a world renowned fitness coach and has been involved as an assistant in 4 World Cups and 4 EURO's working under Legendary Dutch coach Gus Hiddink, as well as working with several European top clubs like FC Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City. As a youth player Verheijen was part of the famous Dutch Youth Academy structure. Unfortunately, his dream of a pr...

Linda Flanagan is a freelance journalist, researcher, and former cross-country and track coach. A founding board member of the NYC chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance and 2020-21 Advisory Group member for the Aspen Institute's Reimagining Sports initiative, her writing on sports has appeared in The Atlantic, Runner's World, and NPR's education site Mind/Shift, where she is a regular contribu...

Linda Flanagan is a freelance journalist, researcher, and former cross-country and track coach. A founding board member of the NYC chapter of the Positive Coaching Alliance and 2020-21 Advisory Group member for the Aspen Institute's Reimagining Sports initiative, her writing on sports has appeared in The Atlantic, Runner's World, and NPR's education site Mind/Shift, where she is a regular contribu...

Christopher Kolenda is a West Point Grad and a retired US Army Colonel, as well as the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy , Kolenda helps leaders and their teams soar to new heights. During his military career, Kolenda, a combat leader and trusted adviser to three four-star generals and two undersecretaries of defense, was the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in...

Christopher Kolenda is a West Point Grad and a retired US Army Colonel, as well as the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy , Kolenda helps leaders and their teams soar to new heights. During his military career, Kolenda, a combat leader and trusted adviser to three four-star generals and two undersecretaries of defense, was the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in...

Christopher Kolenda is a West Point Grad and a retired US Army Colonel, as well as the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy , Kolenda helps leaders and their teams soar to new heights. During his military career, Kolenda, a combat leader and trusted adviser to three four-star generals and two undersecretaries of defense, was the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in...

Christopher Kolenda is a West Point Grad and a retired US Army Colonel, as well as the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy , Kolenda helps leaders and their teams soar to new heights. During his military career, Kolenda, a combat leader and trusted adviser to three four-star generals and two undersecretaries of defense, was the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in...

Steve Magness (@stevemagness) is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . In his coaching practice, Steve works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their perfo...

Steve Magness (@stevemagness) is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . In his coaching practice, Steve works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their perfo...

Steve Magness (@stevemagness) is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . In his coaching practice, Steve works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their perfo...

Steve Magness (@stevemagness) is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . In his coaching practice, Steve works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their perfo...

Steve Magness (@stevemagness) is a world-renowned expert on performance, well-being, and sustainable success. His most recent work is Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness . He is coauthor of the best selling Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox . In his coaching practice, Steve works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their perfo...