WOC #61 Dan Coyle, NYT Bestselling Author of The Talent Code and The Culture Code, on The Four Most Powerful Words a Leader Can Say, and Other Secrets of Highly Successful Teams

“I screwed that up.” Imagine asking a member of the Navy Seals what makes a great leader, and that it is the answer you receive. One of the toughest people on the planet showing vulnerability, failure, and weakness. According to Daniel Coyle, this ability to find weakness is what makes great teams strong. This is
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WOC #60 “We don’t put kindergarteners in big chairs and huge desks, but we ask them to play on big fields with adult rules” with Dr. Stephen Norris, world renowned LTAD expert.

When it comes to setting up classrooms for children, we get it. Everything in the school, including the restrooms, are kid-sized, because we understand they are not adult-sized. Why do we continue to insist on full-size fields, big equipment, and adult rules when it comes to youth sports? If you agree with Dr. Norris in
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WOC #59 “I Like Recruiting Farm Kids!” How 3x NCAA Champion UConn Field Hockey Coach Nancy Stevens Builds Championship Teams

Head Coach Nancy Stevens wrote one short sentence on the locker room mirror prior to the start of UConn Field Hockey’s 2017 season. She then repeated that sentence in the locker room only moments before the team won the National Championship. One short sentence that empowered them, loosened them up, gave them confidence. What did
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#58 What Are the Most Important Leadership Traits to Teach Young Athletes and Other FAQs with Coach Reed Maltbie and John O’Sullivan

Did you ever just want to quit doing what you are doing? How do you handle someone who sabotages your work? How do you help athletes learn without lecturing all the time? What are your thoughts on coaching licenses? Coach Reed and John tackle these Frequently Asked Questions and more in our most recent podcast.
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#57 How to Become a Transformational Coach with Jean Cote, World-Renowned Expert in Youth Sports and Coach Development

If we coached robots, we could simply drill skills until the robots performed them to perfection, but we coach human beings. Way more goes into coaching people than simple drills and skills. Jean Cote shares what it means to be a Transformational Coach in our latest episode. Enjoy the show! Subscribe to the Show  
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#56 “Some parents are crazy, but most are just stressed!” Why parent engagement is key to fixing youth sports with Skye Eddy Bruce, Founder of SoccerParenting.com

Are you one of THOSE sports parents? All too often, we lump sports parents into one large category based on the behaviors of a few. Skye Eddy Bruce joins us to explain that not all parents are that way and the key to creating a better sports experience may be found with engaging parents more effectively.
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#55 Coaching John McEnroe and Other Great Tales from 17x NCAA Champion Stanford Tennis Coach, Dick Gould

What would it be like to coach some of the greatest tennis players of all time before they became the icons they are today? Tune in to our latest podcast to hear Dick Gould’s stories about these iconic players and more from over 50 years with Stanford Tennis. Subscribe to the Way of Champions Podcast
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#54 How Desirable Difficulties Help Our Children Succeed in Sports and Life with Jessica Lahey, Author of The Gift of Failure

Are we robbing our kids of valuable self-directed executive function when we solve everything for them and don’t let them make mistakes? This is a valuable life skill needed to succeed in college and beyond. Listen in as Jessica Lahey explains on the newest podcast. Subscribe to the Way of Champions Podcast on iTunes Show
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#53 The 7 Disciplines of the Winningest College Soccer Program in America with Michael Zigarelli, author of the Messiah Method

When a program, both men’s and women’s teams, wins 16 National Championships in 18 seasons, we should take notice. When those programs are also sought after by parents because they create excellent men and women in the process, there is something we can all learn from them. Find out what Professor Zigarelli discovered about the
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#52 How Belgium went from #66 to #1 in The World Rankings with Belgian FA Director of Coach Education, Kris Van Der Haegen

Has Belgium discovered the secret to International Football success? In 2009, Belgium was #66 on the FIFA World Rankings. They made a few changes and rocketed to #1 in six short years. What did they change? What is their secret? Belgian FA Director of Coach Education, Kris Van der Haegen, shares their secret on our
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#51 No One Gets There Alone with Sports Psychologist Rob Bell

Success never happens in a vacuum. There are always others who have been there with us on the journey to help. When those “helpers” appear will you be ready? Will you take advantage of the gift you are given? Dr. Rob Bell talks about Hinge Moments and those people who are there in those moments.
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#50 It’s Time for Coaching Educators to Start Teaching Coaching and Stop Teaching Sport Science with Olympic Coaching Educator Wayne Goldsmith

Ask dentists what are the 5 most important things they should be learning, and you will find those being taught in dental school. Dentists are given the most important skills to succeed in that role. Ask coaches what are the 5 most important things they should be learning and then audit a coaching education course. Are
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#49 Cindy Timchal, 8x NCAA Champion Lacrosse Coach, on How Champions ‘Win the Day’, Cultivate Leadership, and Do all the Little Things others Hate to Do.

What if, instead of worrying about winning games, we got our athletes to focus first on ‘Winning the Day’? If they focused on their very best, working for the greater good of the team, and getting better every day, what kind of transformation would occur? Bio Hall of Fame head coach Cindy Timchal was named
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#48 Dr. Mark Williams, Skill Acquisition Expert, on Why Early Engagement is Better than Early Specialization

Dr. Williams is Professor and Chair, Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation at University of Utah. Dr. Williams has previously held senior leadership positions in the UK (Head of Life Sciences, Brunel University London) and Australia (Associate Dean for Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney). His research interests focus on the neural and
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#47 Bob Hansen, 7x NCAA Champion Tennis Coach, on Why Team Dynamics are Crucial to Success in Individual Sports

Do you think team dynamics and a strong culture are important in individual sports? One of the most successful coach in NCAA Tennis history tells us what he thinks about it. Bio Hansen is now in his seventh season as the head coach of the Middlebury men’s tennis team. He came to Middlebury from the
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#46 How to Run Better Practices with Best Selling Author Doug Lemov

Bio Doug Lemov is the author of the international bestseller Teach Like a Champion, and Teach Like a Champion 2..0. He is the coauthor with TLAC team colleagues of Practice Perfect, Reading Reconsidered: A Practical Guide to Rigorous Literacy Instruction, and Teach Like a Champion Field Guide 2.0. In addition to his work studying teachers he is the front man in the nation’s
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#45 How a tiny Vermont town quietly became a Cradle of Olympians with Karen Crouse

A small town in Vermont, with only 3,000 full-time inhabitants has put at least one athlete in every Olympic games since 1984, including the highest ever finisher in the ski jump from the US. What are they doing to create such elite athletes? The answer has little to do with sports… Bio Karen Crouse is a
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#44: 22x NCAA and World Cup Champion Coach Anson Dorrance Discusses the Difference Between Coaching Men and Women, Building the Competitive Cauldron, and the Keys To Building a Winning Culture with UNC Women’s Soccer

Want to be a fly on the wall for a conversation between a 36-time NCAA Champion Sport Psychology Consultant and one of the greatest coaches of all time? This is a show you cannot miss! Dr. Jerry Lynch and Anson Dorrance join John this week to talk Dean Smith, John Wooden, Alonzo Stagg, and what
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#43 Life’s 2 Short 4 Just 1 Sport with Steve Boyle, Founder of 2-4-1 Sports and Chairman of the National Association of Physical Literacy

Your child gets that all important phone call offering a spot on the good select sports team in town. You want your child to sample multiple sports, so you ask about managing a two-sport schedule. The coach says, “we are no longer interested”. What would you do? Listen in to find out what Steve Boyle
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#42 Best of 2017: Our Favorite Interviews on Coaching from our First Year Pt 1  

We asked you all to share with us your favorite podcasts from 2017, and we had so many responses that we have decided to divide it up into multiple episodes. In this episode, we share your favorite podcasts from select coaches: UNC National Champion Lacrosse Coach Jenny Levy, USA Volleyball’s John Kessel, World Cup and
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#41 Continuing the Legacy of Johan Cruyff with TOVO Academy and Cruyff Institute Founder, Todd Beane

What would it be like to spend 14 years working alongside and learning from one of the greatest coaches of all time – Johan Cruyff? We asked Todd Beane that question and more in our most recent podcast. Download it now. Bio Todd graduated from Dartmouth College in 1986 with a B.A. in English Literature.
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#40 Chamique Holdsclaw, The “Michael Jordan” of Women’s Basketball, On Being the Best, Falling Down, and Finding Her Purpose Again

Chamique Holdsclaw was called the Michael Jordan of Women’s Basketball. She dominated the courts winning 3 National Championships and being named the Naismith Player of the Century. She was 4-time All-American, World Champion, Olympic Champion and enjoyed an 11-year professional career, but no one knew the real battle she was waging… Bio Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw
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#39 Manchester United Youth Coach Tom Statham Discusses Two Decades of Watching Young Players’ Unique Pathways to the Pros

What do you think the path to professional sports looks like? 22 year veteran coach at Manchester United, Tom Statham, shares what he has seen and experienced as the path over the last few decades. Spoiler alert…there is no defined path. Listen in for Tom’s explanation. Bio This is what Manchester United Academy has to
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WOC #38 Don’t just tell them to be leaders, teach them with James Leath, Former Head of Leadership Development at IMG Academy

What do a college mascot, an improv comedian, and sport psychologist have in common? The recipe for helping develop some of our best leaders and most resilient athletes. Tune in to hear James Leath’s amazing journey to become one of North America’s most successful leadership development experts and how he steps way outside the traditional
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WOC #37 Wrestle Like a Girl with Sally Roberts, 3x U.S. National Champ

How powerful is sport for creating an excellent life beyond the game? For Sally Roberts wrestling transported her from the detention cell of juvenile hall to the floor of the United Nations. Now she is on a mission to give the same opportunities to young girls the world over. Join us as we hear Sally’s
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WOC #36 Former Professional Golfer, John Haime, on How Sports Skills Transfer from the Locker Room to the Board Room

A mere 1 percent of all youth athletes end up playing pro. What is the goal of youth sports for those other 99 percent? In this episode, John Haime discusses the real skills that kids can learn in the locker room and transfer to the board room. Bio John is a world-class Coach in the area
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WOC #35 Dr. Peter Vint, Former USOC High-Performance Specialist, on Coaching and Parenting Elite Athletes

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
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WOC #34 Best Selling Author, Dan Heath, on How Coaches can Create Extraordinary Moments for their Athletes

Everyone has these defining moments in their lives that they vividly recall. Some are extraordinary and some are terrible. As coaches, we do not get to choose which moments our athletes recall, but we do get to choose the moments we create in order to ensure what we leave our athletes with are exceptionally positive
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WOC #33 Best Selling Authors Wade Gilbert and Jerry Lynch Discuss What Quality Coaching Really Looks Like

How do you define a quality coach? Is it number of wins? Are we expert coaches because of the amount of time we have coached the game? Wade Gilbert and Jerry Lynch have a candid conversation with John about what it really means to be a quality coach and the definition is not what we
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WOC #32 Emmy Winning ESPN Reporter Tom Farrey on Creating Sport For All and Play for Life

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
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