#358 Dr. Ben Freakley, Former NCAA Head Coach and Sport Psychologist: “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”
Thursday, 04 January 2024
Dr. Ben Freakley has coached individuals, teams, and organizations on the psychology of performance, team dynamics, and well-being. A former NCAA Division I athlete, Ben has been an NCAA Division I men’s soccer coach, mental performance coach for special operations forces (75th Ranger Regiment), general manager for a sports club with over 1100 members, and
- Published in Coaching, Podcast, Soccer, sport psychology
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#351 JP Nerbun, Author and Coach Mentor, on Seeing Parents as People, and Unlocking the Power of Parents in Sports
Friday, 17 November 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast J.P. Nerbun (@jpnerbun) is a bestselling author, leadership coach, and founder of TOC Culture Consulting, a leading global sports-consulting and leadership coaching business. His mission is to support leaders and their teams to achieve their full potential through 1:1 coaching, consulting, and community.
- Published in Podcast, Sports Parenting
The Storm Has Its Purpose
Thursday, 16 November 2023
The other day I was on a live webinar with a couple of dozen parents of young athletes, almost all moms. They were there to gain some insight into how they could best support their children on the sporting journey across a variety of sports. I was asked a question that is a very common
- Published in Adversity, Family Values, Mental Toughness, Parenting
Youth Sports is a Journey (And We Have Lots to Be Grateful For)
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
This week I wanted to share with you some thoughts I recently sent to my local youth soccer club. I wrote these as I was working in the Middle East, visiting a series of international schools and doing coach, parent and leadership education in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Kuwait. It was a fascinating trip, as I learned
- Published in Adversity, High School Sports, Parenting
Getting Better vs. Getting Seen: The Conundrum That Derails Many Promising Young Athletes
Tuesday, 16 May 2023
“Thanks Coach, we had an amazing time in this program, but you just don’t do enough showcases and we are going to miss getting seen by college coaches. We will be joining Club X.” “But isn’t your daughter still in middle school?” “Yes, but they say if we don’t join now we won’t be able
- Published in College Recruiting, Parenting
#319 A Mediterranean Tapas Chat with Todd Beane of TOVO Academy, Skye Eddy of Soccer Parenting, and John O’Sullivan of Changing the Game Project
Friday, 07 April 2023
This week we bring you a special episode recorded in Sitges, Spain with TOVO Academy Founder Todd Beane (@_ToddBeane), Soccer Parenting founder Skye Eddy (@SoccerParenting), and John. We all happened to cross paths in Spain when John’s team was participating in a training week at TOVO, and we took the opportunity to have a few
#313 Some Thoughts on Parent Engagement, Building Trusted Relationships, and Coach/Parent/Athlete Accountability with John O’Sullivan
Monday, 27 February 2023
This week John shares his thoughts after two weeks on the road visiting college teams and conducting some parent and coach workshops on some topics that have come up a lot recently. Quite a few coaches have asked about parent engagement and how to work with those parents who just don’t get it, and John
#310 Carol “Hutch” Hutchins, Hall of Fame University of Michigan Softball Coach, on Culture, Having High Standards, Coaching Today’s Athlete, and Title IX After 50 Years
Friday, 03 February 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast Carol “Hutch” Hutchins wrapped up her 38th season at the helm of the University of Michigan softball program in 2022. She was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006. With a career record of 1,707-551-5 over her
#308 Fireside Chat with Stuart Armstrong, Host of The Talent Equation Podcast, on Skill Acquisition, Over the Top Parents, and Protecting the Rights of the Children in Sports
Friday, 20 January 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast This is a special episode of the podcast as Stuart and John got to record in person in Bend, Oregon after a 2 day work visit with a little ski adventure thrown in. He has been traveling the US speaking at the United
#307 How Adults Ruin Youth Sports, and How We Can Fix it
Friday, 13 January 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast This week we are doing something a little different on the podcast. We had a last minute guest cancellation, so this week we decided to discuss one of our recent blog posts that just went a but viral, “How Adults Take the Joy
- Published in Parenting, Podcast, Problems in Youth Sports
#305 Ashton Eaton, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist in Decathlon on his Multi-Sport Childhood, His Best Coaches, and What Drove his Success (Replay)
Friday, 30 December 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast This week we dig into the archives from April 2017, when John sat down with world record holder and 2x Olympic Gold Medalist Ashton Eaton for some timeless advice for athletes of all sports and ages. Ashton Eaton is a retired American decathlete
Our 2022 Books of the Year: And the Winner is DO HARD THINGS by Steve Magness
Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Every year for 10 years we have released our favorite books of the year, and this year we had an amazing assortment of books that crossed our path. We are so blessed that all of these authors also took the time to join us on the Way of Champions Podcast so you can listen to
- Published in Book reviews
#291 Steve Magness, Author and Former Elite Runner, on His New Book “Do Hard Things: How We Get Resilience Wrong and the Science of Real Toughness”
Friday, 23 September 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
- Published in Mental Toughness, Podcast
Confidence CANNOT be Given; it Has to be EARNED!
Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Don’t we all wish our children were more confident? Don’t we wish there was a magic confidence pill, or some special words that we could say to our children that would have them step into the arena bursting with the belief that they could accomplish any task? And is there anything more painful than to
- Published in Confidence
#290 Tim Hightower, NFL Running Back, on His Four Year Quest to Return from Injury, Resiliency, and Having a Dream Worth Fighting For
Friday, 16 September 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher On October 23, 2011, Tim Hightower (@Tim_Hightower) was the starting running back for the Washington Commanders (then known as the Redskins) of the National Football League, when he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a game. Over the next four years he faced a lengthy recovery in body
- Published in Football, Injuries, Mental Toughness, Podcast
#273 Dan Abrahams, Sport Psychologist, on Creating a Mental Framework, Stomping the ANTS, and Improving Your Inner Dialogue (replay)
Friday, 20 May 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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. A former professional golfer and PGA qualified, Dan has a First Class Honors degree in Psychology and a
- Published in Podcast, sport psychology
#223 “No Excuses!” Mark Pulisic, Father of Chelsea and US Soccer Star Christian Pulisic, on Christian’s Journey to the Top
Sunday, 06 June 2021
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher This week, in order to celebrate Christian Pulisic becoming the first American male to win the Champions League, we dig into the archives for our interview with his father Mark. Mark is a former collegiate and professional player and coach, and our talk took place soon after Christian completed his $73
- Published in Podcast
#219 “Prepare the Child for the Path, not the Path for the Child” with Author and HS Football Coach Clint Schumacher
Sunday, 09 May 2021
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Resilience is quite the buzzword these days, but what is it exactly, and how do we develop resilience in ourselves, and model it for our children? Clint Schumacher is a husband, father, lawyer, HS football coach and author fo the great new book Second Wind, all about the 14 decisions we
- Published in Podcast
#217 The Power of “I Love to Watch You Play” with 4x Emmy Award Winning Sports Journalist and Producer Asia Mape
Sunday, 25 April 2021
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Asia Mape is a 4x Emmy Awards winning sports journalist and producer, and the founder of the incredible website “I Love to Watch You Play.” She has covered five Olympic games, two Super Bowls and nearly every major sporting event in the world. She has also interviewed hundreds of the top
- Published in Podcast
#204 Actor and Producer Mike O’Malley on Parenting Your Young Athletes in the “Adultified” World of Youth Sports
Sunday, 24 January 2021
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Mike O'Malley, actor, producer, and youth sport advocate. You have seen Mike on Morning Show, The Good Place, Yes, Dear; Parks and Recreation, Justified; My Own Worst Enemy; My Name is Earl; Welcome to the Family and The Mike O’Malley Show. Mike is also a champion for youth sports.
- Published in Podcast
Approaching 2021 with Grace, Patience and Kindness
Monday, 04 January 2021
As we wind down the year 2020, a year in which Dictionary.com named the word “unprecedented” as its word of the year, I have been using some holiday downtime to think about 2021, and how to improve upon the challenges of the past 9 months. And the word I keep coming upon is “grace.” I
- Published in Coaching, Motivation, Sports Parenting
How to be a Great Sports Parent During and After COVID-19
Monday, 29 June 2020
Many years ago, when I first started Changing the Game Project, I travelled to Los Angeles to speak at a parent education day for The Brentwood School. The keynote speaker that day was psychologist and author Madeline Levine. She has written two NY Times bestsellers on parenting (The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children
Another Great Coach Bites the Dust. How Sad!
Wednesday, 05 February 2020
Yesterday was a tough day. It was a tough day because I had a conversation with another coaching friend who had lost his job. He was not fired for doing anything illegal. He was not fired for anything inappropriate. He was not fired for bullying or demeaning behavior. He was complimented for his integrity and
- Published in Coaching, High School Sports, Problems in Youth Sports
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, our Favorite book so far in 2019
Friday, 14 June 2019
Yes, it is summer, which means it’s time to sit back, relax and catch up on some reading. Well, you are in luck, because this has been a banner year for some new releases, plus some 2018 books I am just getting to. Let’s go! Best Book (so far) of 2019 Range: Why Generalists Triumph
- Published in Book reviews
#105 Parenting Young Champions and Peak Performance with Gold Medal Winning Sport Psychologist Dr Roberta Kraus
Sunday, 10 March 2019
Dr. Roberta V. Kraus is currently featured as an expert in a new video series launched by TrueSport, an educational program powered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that inspires athletes, coaches, parents, and administrators to change the culture of youth sport through active engagement based on cornerstone lessons of sportsmanship, character-building, and clean and healthy
- Published in Podcast
#104 “You Coach a Child, Not a Sport!” with Dr. Martin Toms
Monday, 04 March 2019
Dr Martin Toms is a senior lecturer in Sports Coaching in the School of Sport & Exercise Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences. Dr Toms has been involved in sport coaching and development for a number of years, and has experience of teaching in schools, as well as coaching (Professionally) prior to undertaking posts
- Published in Podcast
The Best Sports Books of 2018
Monday, 26 November 2018
Yes, it is that time of year again, time for our favorite books of 2018, and time to get the coaches, parents and athletes in our lives some good holiday reading material. The Changing the Game Project team is always reading, always listening, and always learning, in order to help you take your coaching, parenting,
- Published in Book reviews
The Culture Code: Our 2017 Book of the Year (Plus Other Staff Picks)
Tuesday, 05 December 2017
It’s that time of year again, our final blog where we review our favorite books of 2017. There were some amazing books out there this year, and the choices were tough. This year, we also brought in some staff favorites to add to our master list. Hopefully, you can find a great read for the
- Published in Book reviews
WOC #35 Dr. Peter Vint, Former USOC High-Performance Specialist, on Coaching and Parenting Elite Athletes
Sunday, 12 November 2017
Do the principles and beliefs we discuss regarding youth athletes apply to “elite” athletes? How do you approach the process of parenting elite athletes? Dr. Peter Vint, one of the world’s top experts on high-performance athletes, shares his views on elite athletes, quality coaching, and parenting at all levels of the game. Bio Dr. Peter
- Published in Podcast
WOC #32 Emmy Winning ESPN Reporter Tom Farrey on Creating Sport For All and Play for Life
Sunday, 22 October 2017
Did you know only 1 in 5 youth coaches are properly trained in motivational techniques and only 1 and 3 are properly trained in skills and tactics? The big reason for this fact is the myth that volunteers can’t or don’t want to be trained. In this episode, Tom Farrey, of The Aspen Institute’s Project
- Published in Podcast