#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
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#309 James Leath, Mental Performance Coach at EXOS, on Using Improv Games to Build Team Culture and Develop Leaders
Friday, 27 January 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast James Leath (@jamesleath) is a mental performance coach, keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and founder of Unleash the Athlete. He is the former Head of Leadership at IMG Academy and currently is a mental performance coach for EXOS. when not traveling the world speaking
- Published in Coaching, Motivation, Podcast
#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
#306 Vince Ganzberg, United Soccer Coaches Director of Coach Education: “The Novice Coach Wants Recipes; the Master Coach Wants to Understand People”
Friday, 06 January 2023
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast Vince Ganzberg is the Director of Coach Education for United Soccer Coaches, the largest soccer coaches association in the world. Ganzberg has earned his US Soccer A-License, United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma, and National Youth License along with a Master’s Degree in recreation
#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
304 Tim Kight: Leaders Create Culture. Culture Drives Behavior. Behavior Produces Results (replay)
Friday, 23 December 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Leadership Expert Tim Kight (@Focus3team), and you are going to want to take some notes. Tim founded Focus 3 in the mid-80’s in Southern California, a life-long student of elite performance with the
- Published in Leadership, Podcast, Team Culture
#303 Kim Barnes Arico, University of Michigan Women’s Basketball Coach, on Charting a Unique Coaching Path, Building Programs, And Adapting Your Style to the Players You Have
Friday, 16 December 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast Kim Barnes Arico finished her 10th season as the head coach of the University of Michigan Women’s basketball team in 2021-22, leading the Maize and Blue to 25 wins and the first NCAA Elite Eight appearance in program history. Throughout her 10-year tenure,
- Published in Basketball, Coaching, Podcast
302 Dr. Joe Baker on Talent, Why We Should Ignore it, How it Limits Athletic Achievement, and Why We Must Stop Labeling Young Athletes Talented
Friday, 09 December 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast Dr. Joe Baker (@bakerjyorku) is Professor and head of the Lifespan Health and Performance Laboratory in the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University, Canada. He is a world-leader in research on talent identification, developing sport expertise, relative age effect, and
- Published in Podcast, Relative Age Effect, Talent Development
#301 In Memory of Dr. Greg Dale: A Replay of Our Podcast from 2020 “Stop Catastrophizing Failure”
Friday, 02 December 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast 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
- Published in Coaching, Podcast, psychology
#300 John Kessel Returns: “If You Coach the Person, the Skill Will Develop; if you Coach the Skill, the Person May Not.”
Friday, 25 November 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast 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,
- Published in Coaching, Podcast, Volleyball
299 Bill Eckstrom, author of The Coaching Effect: “The only way athletes will improve is if the team has a coach who improves.”
Friday, 18 November 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast 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
- Published in Coaching, Leadership, Podcast
297 Grete Eliassen, Pro Skier and 6x X Games Medalist, on Overcoming Fear, Confidence, and Finding Your Passion
Friday, 04 November 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
- Published in Confidence, Podcast
#296 John and Jerry Ask Us Anything Episode: Using Exercise as Punishment, Do We Need a National Sports Ministry, When is is the Right Time to Quit My Coaching Job, and More
Friday, 28 October 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
#295 Ryan Bernacchi, Fmr. Navy Captain, TOP GUN Instructor, and Commander of the Blue Angels on Character, Leadership, Team Building, and the Importance of Visualization to High Performance
Friday, 21 October 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Listen and Watch the Podcast on You Tube: @WayofChampionsPodcast 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
- Published in Leadership, Podcast
#294 Raymond Verheijen, 4x World Cup and EURO’s Coach, on the Importance of Fitness Training Within Sport Context, Overuse Injuries, Periodization of Training, and Managing Load When Athletes Play up an Age
Friday, 14 October 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
#293 Linda Flanagan: How Money and Mania Have Ruined Kids’ Sports, Why it Matters, and How to Take Back the Game
Friday, 07 October 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
- Published in Podcast, Problems in Youth Sports
#292: Christopher Kolenda, Retired US Army Colonel, on Servant Leadership, Getting Buy In From Your Team, and Taking Lessons from the Battlefield to the Sports Field
Friday, 30 September 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher 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
- Published in Leadership, mental health, Podcast
#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
#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
#289 Stephan Wiedner, Psychological Safety Expert, on Building High-Performing Teams, Giving Your Athletes the Courage to Speak Up, and the Confidence They Will Be Heard
Friday, 09 September 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher According to research, the #1 characteristic of high performing teams is a high degree of psychological safety, but what exactly is that, and how can we build it? That is why we brought on this week’s guest Stephan Wiedner. He is a psychological safety expert whose career has focused on developing
- Published in Coaching, Podcast, psychology
#288 Seth Pepper, 23x All-American Swimmer and Mental Performance Coach: How to Nurture Intrinsic Motivation, Embrace Failure as an Opportunity, and Unlimit Your Potential
Friday, 02 September 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Seth Pepper (@sethpepper) is a 23x All-American and 2x National Champion swimmer from the University of Arizona who won Gold Medals at the World University Games and the Pan Pacific Championships.And he only started swimming at age 14. Though he fell inches short of fulfilling his dream to be an Olympian,
- Published in Coaching, Mental Toughness, Podcast
#287 Adam Kuhn, Founder of Satori Soccer, on Using Surveys and Data Analytics to Improve Player Experience and Build a Better Youth Sports Organization
Friday, 26 August 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Adam Kuhn is the director of a nonprofit startup, Satori Soccer (www.satorisoccer.org), a youth soccer coach, and has a business background in data analytics in the field of improving customer experiences. In a youth sports world that is increasingly using analytics to improve performance on the field, the importance of player
- Published in Data Analytics, Podcast, Problems in Youth Sports, Soccer
#286 John Kessel, Former USA Volleyball Director of Sport Development: “Lines Teach You How but the Game Teaches You Why!” (replay)
Friday, 19 August 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher John Kessel (@JohnKesselUSAV) is the recently retired Director of Sport Development for USA Volleyball and one of the most sought after coach educators and sport developers in the world. John has been coaching since 1971 at the collegiate level or above, including Women’s U.S. Open titles in 1986 & 1987, Disabled
- Published in Coaching, Podcast, Volleyball
#285 Dave Aranda, Baylor Football Head Coach, on Winning the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl in 2022, and the Importance of Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Finding Your Coaching Why
Friday, 12 August 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Dave Aranda is the Head Coach of Baylor Football, the 2021 Big 12 Champions and winners of the 2022 Sugar Bowl. A 2020 National Champion Asst. Coach at LSU and a 26-year coaching veteran, Dave Aranda was named the 28th head coach in Baylor Football history on Jan. 16, 2020. In
#284 Steve Gomez, 3x NCAA Champion Women’s Basketball Coach at Lubbock Christian University, on Selflessness, Sacrifice, Coaching Males vs Females, and Building a Sustainable Championship Culture
Friday, 05 August 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Steve Gomez is the 3x NCAA Champion women’s basketball coach at Lubbock Christian University. He graduated from LCU in 1988 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Mathematics, and played on the mens basketball team where he is still in the top of many categories in the record books. He then
- Published in Basketball, Coaching, Podcast
#283 Podcast Lessons That Changed the Way I Coach: Kris Van Der Haegen, Mark Upton and Mark Bennett from Season 1 and 2
Friday, 29 July 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Last week, the Belgium Red Flames Women’s Soccer Team qualified for the knockout stages of the 2022 Women’s European Soccer Championships, the first time the team has advanced that far in a major tournament. Our friend and popular podcast guest Kris Van Der Haegen is the assistant coach of that team,
#282 Dre Baldwin, Founder of Work on Your Game, Author of 31 Books, and Former Pro Basketball Player on Overcoming Fear, Discipline and Resilience
Friday, 22 July 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher As CEO and Founder of Work On Your Game Inc., Dre Baldwin has given 4 TEDxTalks on Discipline, Confidence, Mental Toughness & Personal Initiative and has authored 31 books. He has appeared in national campaigns with Nike, Finish Line, Wendy’s, Gatorade, Buick, Wilson Sports, STASH Investments and DIME magazine. Dre has
- Published in habits, Mental Toughness, Podcast
#281 Wayne Goldsmith, World Renowned Coaching Professional, on Issues with Early Talent ID, and How to Fix Coach Education
Friday, 15 July 2022
Listen on the web, iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and Stitcher Wayne Goldsmith has been at the forefront of sports innovation, education and development for over 25 years. His unique “whole of sport” background – having worked across every level and aspect of sport around the world gives him the insights to see the real problems in your sport and help you