Way of Champions Podcast

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome George Mumford, author of The Mindful Athlete  and Mindfulness & Elite Performance Expert. We dive into why sports are so important in teaching life-lessons, how to get buy-in from players, and the most important lesson to teach athletes for peak-performance. Named Phil Jackson's 'Secret Weapon' to winning eight NBA Championships, George's pass...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome Chris Armas, New York Red Bulls Head Coach, and former professional soccer player. Armas made 66 appearances with the US National Team, and was US Soccer's Player of the Year in 2000. He was names to 6 MLS All Star games and five times was named MLS Best XI. He won the 1998 MLS Championship and 4 US Open Cups with the Chicago Fire. John and Chr...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Dr. Meeta Singh, a sleep medicine doctor from the Henry Ford Sleep Disorder Center. Dr. Singh specializes in a variety of Sleep Disorders with a focus in Insomnia, Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea, and Sports Medicine. Sleep is perhaps the most important component to peak performance, yet many organizations to not prioritize a solid night's r...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Esfandiar "Esse" Baharmast, a former referee, player, coach and current instructor who has been involved in more than a dozen World Cup tournaments and Olympic Games, and was named the 2020 winner of U.S. Soccer's prestigious Werner Fricker Builder Award. We dive into how great referees prepare for a match, advice on how to clm down an intense i...

John O'Sullivan and James Leath get together and do a free webinar about how to support your kids and your athletes during these uncertain times. First, John shares practical advice about what you should do to help kids cope with what is going on, including defining success, being careful not to rupture any relationships, and do whatever you can to build a sense of purpose and responsibility.     ...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome NBA Head Coach of the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder. We discuss Coach Quin's journey of going from a player to a coach and how coaching overseas overseas helped him create his coaching philosophy. Coach Snyder is not like a lot of coaches, in that he is a super deep thinker, pulling from his his experience getting a degree in philosophy and completing...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Martin Rooney, author and trainer for the NFL, MMA, Special Forces Trainer…and high school kids! Martin doesn't just talk the talk, but he is in the trenches daily training people to perform at their peak level. There is so much goodness in this episode! Martin has been educating coaches at conferences for over a decade and is not shy about shar...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Dr. Tiffany (Tiff) Jones, a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) who is on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Sport Psychology Registry.  With over 15 years of consulting experience, Dr. Tiff is the Founder of X-Factor Performance Consulting, specializing in mental skills training for athletes, teams, coaches, a...

This week, John will be reading a chapter from his new book Every Moment Matters  on "How to Coach Your Own Child." It is estimated that over 80% of coaches at one time or another coach their own child, yet this unique dynamic is never discussed in coaching education classes, and rarely mentioned by Park and Recreation and Coachign Directors when they send their army of volunteer parents out to co...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome, Lani Silversides. Lani is a former Division I athlete, current high school mathematics teacher, high school varsity and youth coach, sport psychology enthusiast, avid photographer and mother of two. We dive into transitioning from high school to college sports, the importance of understanding sport psychology as a coach, tips on coaching female...

This week we welcome Phil Costa, former NFL Player for the Dallas Cowboys. We dive into a question every athlete must eventually face when they come to the end of their plying career: "What now?" Phil shares his experience trying to remake himself after football is over, we discuss how sports prepares athletes for life, when the best time for an athlete to network is, and w also spend some time ta...

This week we welcome back to the podcast Sport Psychologist Tom Bates. Tom has over 15 years working with youth and senior domestic international athletes, coaches, managers and teams helping them to perform under pressure and be at their best when it matters the most. We discuss implementing sport psychology into daily practice, how to bring values to life on your team, and three questions every...

If you have not yet watched In Search of Greatness , you will want to after this incredible discussion with the movie's director Gabe Polsky. We dive deep into his time with some of the greatest athletes of our time, including Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, & Jerry Rice. The film also features Muhammad Ali, Einstein, David Bowie, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan among others.     During our conversation, Gab...

In 2019, Kevin Kirk was voted PGA Coach of the Year. Kevin Kirk is one of the top golf coaches in the world. He is a deep thinker, culture creator, and ll-around great guy. We talk bout how to incorporate mental training to golfers, talking with parents, preparing for the national stage as an athlete…you do not want to miss this one!       Highlights from the Podcast: Kevin talks about the idea of...

How do you get buy-in from athletes? Why is it important to not try and fit players into a system? How can being a creative thinker make you a better coach? Join us as we answer these questions and much more of Gary Gait, considered by many as the greatest lacrosse player of all-time.      Gary is currently the head coach of the women's lacrosse team at Syracuse University. Gary has won championsh...

We are super excited to have USMNT Legend and current SD Loyal Head Coach Landon Donovan on the podcast, joined by his assistant coach Carrie Taylor.  Many of you know Donovan, the all time leading scorer for US Soccer, 6x MLS Champion, and the namesake of the Major League Soccer MVP award. Taylor is the only woman currently coaching professional soccer in the US, and is highly experienced on all...

From the football field, to the stage, to becoming a best-selling, author Bo Eason joins us on the Way of Champions Podcast to discuss peaking in youth sports, competing against difficult opponents, and the mentality it takes to be the best in the world.     Highlights from the Podcast: Bo shares a defining moment in his life when he was told he was too small to play football Why most people are l...

If the shoe fits, performance improves! That is the message our guest this week is so passionate about sharing. Dr. Bob Weil is a sports Podiatrist & host of "The Sports Doctor", bbsradio.com/thesportsdoctor , a live weekly hour show featuring guests from all aspects of sports medicine, fitness & Wellness. We discuss      Highlights from the Podcast: How does the way a shoe fits improve performanc...

Dr. Jay Martin, Head Men's Soccer Coach for Ohio Wesleyan for the past 42 years is the winningest coach in college men's soccer history. We talk with Coach Martin about the importance of making practice fun, how kids have changed in the past 43 years of coaching, and how to use player ideas to improv practice.       Highlights from the Podcast: What brings Coach Martin back coaching after 4-+ year...

What is it like to be be competing to be the best in the world at your sport? In this week's episode, we talk with author and Olympian Annie Vernon about why sport psychology is as important to understand as building physical strength, how to build confidence and stay motivates, and what to do the you or your athlete has Raceday jitters.   Highlights from the Podcast: Annie shares how she got into...

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome back Amanda Visek, a certified mental performance coach and associate professor at George Washington University. Dr. Visek has contributed to some of the most incredible research out there on youth sports. During our chat, we discuss why fun is looked upon so poorly in youth sport, what are the similarities between coaching boys and girls, and...

Dan Abrahams is a sport psychologist who works alongside individuals, teams, coaches and organizations globally. He is known for his passion to de-mystify sport psychology and for creating simple to use performance techniques. Dan is a returning guest to the show ( see episode #003 ) and it was again an incredible conversation. We discuss ways an athlete can establish a mental framework for succes...

FA National Women's Coach Developer, Amy Price shares her unique approach to player development as she shares how coaches can use the principles of video game design to engage in their development, setting challenges, designing tasks and encouraging problem-solving.    Highlights from the Discussion: How to gain trust of a new team Assessing what a team needs from a coach  How does video game desi...

Tony DiCicco was the former Head Coach of the US Women's National and Olympic Soccer Teams, as well as the US U20 Women's National Team.  He coached the US National Team to their famous victory in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Championship, the largest women's sporting event in history. Unfortunately, Tony passed away in June of 2017.    In 1996, he coached the US Women's Olympic Team to the fir...

"Can you turn the skill into a game?" That is the challenge from this week on the Way of Champions Podcast. Join us as we talk with Dr. Ian Renshaw, Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. We discuss the fundamental ideas behind teaching children, how we as coaches inhibit earning by prioritizing a good looking practice drill over developing the athlete, and...