Way Of Champions Podcast

In this replay of a brilliant episode from year 2 of the podcast, we welcome Dr. Stephen Norris to the show. Norris was the Director of Sport Physiology & Strategic Planning at the Canadian Sport Centre Calgary for the three Winter Olympic cycles (2002, 2006 and 2010), focusing on Canada’s winter sport teams. He acted as the central performance consultant for the Own The Podium initiative leading up to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C.  He has worked with Hockey Canada for the past 20 years, most notably with the National Women’s Team program for 15 of those years. He has also worked extensively with the PGA on their youth development initiatives. In addition, Norris is a member of the Sport Physiology Group/Altitude Research Group, headed by David Smith, within the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Calgary. He is a recognized authority on long-term athlete development and talent nurturing systems. Most recently, Norris was appointed adjunct professor (applied physiology) at

Kelly Amonte-Hiller is one of the most decorated athletes and coaches we have had on this podcast. As an athlete she was a 2x NCAA Champion and 2x NCAA player of the year at University of Maryland, as well as an all-world selection in 2005. As a coach she has won 8 NCAA championships, been named IWLCA National Coach of the Year five times, and is an inductee into the US Lacrosse and IWLCA Hall of Fame. With over 350 wins, and the highest win total and winning percentage of any coach in the NCAA tournament, she is a lacrosse coaching legend. But she is so much more.  In our conversation today, we discuss her athletic journey, the importance of the inner game, how she recruits and builds her teams, the importance of trust, selflessness, listening, love and joy in coaching. She also talks extensively about the need to build the game and invest in women's sports. When you listen to Kelly, you want to play for Kelly! Click here to learn more THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Programs such as UNC soccer and

Christina Murillo (@xtinamurillo10) is a former Mexican international soccer player. She earned 29 caps with Mexico and took her senior year off from the University of Michigan to play in the 2015 Women's World Cup. She later played in the UEFA Champions League and the NWSL for the Chicago Red Stars before retiring in 2019. She is currently the U11-14 Director of Coaching for both boys and girls for the Chicago Fire of MLS. In this episode we discuss the lessons learned from her playing career, her influential coaches, the obstacles to player development, player safety and welfare, and the difference between coaching boys and girls.  THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all your support, as the launch of our new book has been phenomenal, hitting #1 in numerous categories and being named the top new release in Sports Psychology. WE ALSO JUST RELEASED THE PAPERBACK VERSION! We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country,

Brad Stulberg researches, writes, and coaches on health, well-being, and sustainable excellence. His brand new book is called Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing, Including You. He is the bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness and co-author with past WOC Podcast guest Steve magness of Peak Performance. Stulberg regularly contributes to the New York Times, and his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic, among many other publications. He is on faculty at the University of Michigan’s graduate School of Public Health. In his coaching practice, he works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians, and athletes. In our conversation this week we cover topics ranging from parental target fixation in sport, to how to develop the best identity and mindset to flow with the change and impermanence in your life. Check out his work at  https://www.bradstulberg.com/  Purchase a copy of Master of Change Here THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all

Becky Burleigh began her college soccer coaching career at the ripe old age of 21, coaching Berry College to two NAIA National Championships before moving onto the University of Florida. In her nearly three decades at Florida, she won the 1998 NCAA Championship, a combined 26 SEC regular season and tournament championships, and over 500 games. Upon retiring, she was named interim coach of the NWSL's Orlando Pride during a time of great turmoil, and currently she partners with Brett Ledbetter on coaching education through their business What Drives Winning (www.WhatDrivesWinning.com). In our talk today we discuss the relationship game, trust, the challenges facing women coaches, and the most important question that Becky would begin every individual player meeting with that is an absolute game changer.   Connect with Becky at Becky@WhatDrivesWinning.com HE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all your support, as the launch of our new book has been phenomenal, hitting #1 in numerous categories and

In this week's coaching masterclass, John and Jerry sit down with the coaching staff from the University of Notre Dame's 2023 NCAA Champion Mens lacrosse team. Head Coach Kevin Corrigan just completed his 35th season at the helm of the Fighting Irish, and has amassed over 300 wins, 25 NCAA Tournament Appearances, reached 5 Final Fours, and won a combined 22 regular season and conference tournament championships. He is joined on the podcast by assistant coaches Chris Wojcik (former Harvard men's Head Coach, 3 years at UND), Ryan Wellnar (long time US Naval Academy Asst. Coach) and Volunteer Assistant Ryder Garnsey, a former UND player under Corrigan. The conversation is not at all about Xs and Os, but a deep dive into the intentional relationship and culture building, values, and higher purpose than winning that the Fighting Irish epitomize year after year. You will see that the program is a truly special place, and get a deep dive into what transformational coaching looks like in a championship program.  THE

Jenny Levy has led UNC Women's lacrosse to 3 NCAA Championships, 13 NCAA Final Fours and over 400 wins. She has been named NCAA Coach of the year on three occasions, and ACC Coach of the year seven times.  She was also the Head Coach for the US Women's National Team from 2017-2022. You do not sustain such success unless you can consistently recruit and develop leaders in your program, while at the same time modeling your core values and what great leadership looks like. In this interview, previously only available during our 2021 Way of Champions Conference, Jenny tells us about her "Carolina Way." Get ready to take some notes on this one, it is one of our best ever interviews. THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all your support, as the launch of our new book has been phenomenal, hitting #1 in numerous categories and being named the top new release in Sports Psychology. WE ALSO JUST RELEASED THE PAPERBACK VERSION THIS WEEK! We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top hig

Sandy Barbour is one of the most influental womens in sports. Upon her retirement in 2022 as Athletic Director and VP of Intercollegiate Athletics from Penn State University, she had been named one of five finalists for the Sports Business Journal's prestigious Athletic Director of the Year for the third time in her career and second time at Penn State (2009 and 2018). She served as AD at Penn St for 8 years, and prior to that for 10 years at University of California-Berkeley. In 2017, she was selected for the prestigious National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Under Armour AD of the Year Award for directing Penn State to nine conference championships and one NCAA title at the time. In 2020, she was among the honorees of Sports Illustrated's list of the most powerful, influential and outstanding women in sports. In addition, Forbes named Barbour one of the top 25 most powerful people in college sports in 2015 and one of the most influential women in sports in 2018 — the highest ranked athlet

Dr. Alan Goldberg received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and is a former #1 singles player for the UMass Minuteman tennis team and twice Conference Champion. His background also includes 22 years of professional tennis coaching experience and a first-degree black belt in Shurin Ryu karate. he has early four decades of experience working with individuals and teams seeking peak performance. He has created over 35 mental toughness training programs and books for athletes, coaches, and parents on peak performance and mental toughness. He trains athletes’ minds, teaching practical skills that can be immediately used in their sports. He also writes on the subject of peak performance and overcoming blocks for a number of national publications. Dr. G is known internationally for his ground breaking, one on one work and is recognized as one of the few people in the field of mental toughness who consistently works successfully with those athletes who struggle with performance anxiety, slum

Keynote Speaker and Experiential Facilitator, Molly Grisham (@mollygrisham) helps to build and sustain teams in a wide variety of industries. She believes that teams don’t grow apart; they die apart. She knows that elite, high-performing teams in all industries get stretched and stressed by the demand to perform. She is passionate about helping teams to rediscover their strengths and restore their relationships, so they can rebuild their teams. With nearly two decades of experience as a College Soccer Coach and Communication Professor, Molly approaches her work as an educator. She meets people where they are and helps them move to where they want to be. Molly holds degrees in Communication from Belmont University, the University of Illinois, and Missouri State University. She has completed training as a Civil & Family Mediator, she is a Certified Experiential Specialist with the International Society of Experiential Professionals, and she is a Certified Myers-Briggs facilitator. Additionally, she is no

Drewe Broughton is a former professional soccer player in the UK, with over 500 appearances over a 17 year career and over 100 goal scored. After retirement he divorced, struggled with addiction, entered rehabilitation, and has since embarked on a career to help players, coaches and business people find their sense of self and overcome the stress, fear, and loss of identity that comes in the world of high achievement. Please check out his website at www.TheFearCoach.com and follow him on social media, especially LinkedIn, where he posts some incredible, vulnerable videos around these topics. In our conversation today we discuss coaching, fear, ego, healthy disrespect, and so much more.  REGISTRATION FOR 2023 WOC CLOSES JULY 14! The 2023 Way of Champions Conference will be held August 4-6, 2023 at Colorado Academy in Denver, CO. PHIL JACKSON, 11X NBA CHAMPION COACH, AND STEVE KERR, 9X NBA CHAMPION COACH AND PLAYER WILL BE JOINING US AS A VIRTUAL GUEST PRESENTERS FOR THE EVENT. CINDY TIMCHAL, 8X NCAA CHAMPION L

This week on the podcast, John and Jerry break down Jerry's newest book, The Mindful Coach: Leading with Intention, Instinct, Influence, Inspiration and Insight. The book is a wonderful read with short lessons around incredibly critical components of mindful leadership, We pay special attention to egolessness and detachment, two qualities that are not discussed enough in the realm of leadership. The book also contains 99 questions for the reader to answer that are at times challenging, yet very insightful and will help you discover your why, what and how of exceptional coaching.  REGISTRATION FOR 2023 WOC CLOSES JULY 14! The 2023 Way of Champions Conference will be held August 4-6, 2023 at Colorado Academy in Denver, CO. PHIL JACKSON, 11X NBA CHAMPION COACH, AND STEVE KERR, 9X NBA CHAMPION COACH AND PLAYER WILL BE JOINING US AS A VIRTUAL GUEST PRESENTERS FOR THE EVENT. CINDY TIMCHAL, 8X NCAA CHAMPION LACROSSE COACH WILL BE JOINING US IN PERSON AS WELL! Click here to learn more and register.  . Its going to be

Dave Dickerson is the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina-Upstate. A former player at the University of Maryland, he has been an assistant coach at numerous schools including Maryland, Ohio State, Tulane and others. His teams have won an NCAA title, (2002) and reached multiple Final Fours. In his five years as head coach at USC Upstate, he has done extraordinary work in trying circumstances, including the death of his wife during the 2021-2022 season. Dave joined us in the summer of 2022 for the Way of Champions Conference, and this is his session. It is an extraordinary story of tragedy, triumph, being there for your players, and the players being there for the head coach in his most difficult moment. THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all your support, as the launch of our new book has been phenomenal, hitting #1 in numerous categories and being named the top new release in Sports Psychology.  Please click here and grab yourself a copy of The Champion Teammate t

This week I was preparing a talk for a University athletics department on connecting and communicating with Gen-Z, and I started by re-listening to this great podcast we did in 2021 with Betsy Butterick. She is a former college basketball coach at the University of Washington, Occidental College, and UC San Diego in addition to having worked as the Logistics manager for the Seattle Storm. Today, Betsy is known as “The Coaches’ Coach” & Communication Specialist. As a former coach with experience in DI, DII, DIII and the WNBA Betsy utilizes her unique background with individuals ready to improve and teams of all kinds — from the locker room to the boardroom. Connect with Betsy on Twitter and be sure to check out Betsy’s website:  https://www.betsybutterick.com In our discussion today we cover: Betsy shares her journey about how she came to coaching coaches How can we intentionally improve our level of communication? When listening, ask yourself, “What can I learn?” Kids these days…who have changed, adults

Dr. Jeremy Alland (@JeremyAllandMD) is a sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH, a renowned, consistently top-10 nationally-ranked orthopedic practice in Chicago, IL. In addition to a busy clinical practice, he serves as the head primary care team physician for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Dogs, as well as a team physician for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Fire Soccer Club. An avid athlete, Dr. Alland played collegiate baseball for DePauw University before pursuing medicine and enjoys golfing, basketball and stand-up paddleboarding. He is the co-host of "Your Doctor Friends" podcast, and has found it insanely fun and is excited to bring fun and approachability to the most common questions we hear as doctors. He also made a hole in one right before we recorded this episode.  THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE HITS #1 ON AMAZON!: Thanks for all your support, as the launch of our new book has been phenomenal, hitting #1 in numerous categories and being named the top new release in Sports Psychology. 

Shayamal Vallabhjee is a sport scientist with a masters in psychology and a world renowned mental and strength trainers He was strength and conditioning coach with South African Davis Cup team from 2006-2008, and has worked in cricket, and multiple other sports. He has authored five books on sports science and motivation and his new book is called Breathe, Believe and Balance. In this book, he combines his knowledge and experience from the worlds of science, spirituality, and psychology, plus three years of his life as a monk Drawing from his experience of more than a decade in the sports world, identifying and grooming winning traits in people, Shayamal has helped numerous organisations develop a culture of innovation and adaptability to keep their businesses agile in a competitive environment. Some of his key focus areas include: maximising focus, team building, creating a culture of excellence, and handling pressure. Shayamal is the Founder & Managing Director of HEAL, a sports medicine and high-perfor

This week on the pod we interview Hall of Fame Volleyball coach Cecile Reynaud and WeCoach CEO and long time college athlete, administrator, and NCAA admin Vanessa Fuchs to discuss the book Winning Ways of Women Coaches, edited by Reynaud. We’ve entered a new era of women in coaching. Women coaches across the globe have triumphed, using their expertise, experience, and sustained success to break down barriers and establish new standards of excellence in their coaching roles. Some of the most exceptional women coaches in the world have contributed to this groundbreaking book, each examining a different coaching topic from her unique viewpoint. Representing 15 different sports—including professional football and baseball—and earning more than 50 national championships and dozens of world and Olympic titles, these coaching pioneers provide the acumen and inspiration to succeed in the coaching profession. Today, Jerry and John discuss the story behind the book and some of its most valuable lessons with Cecile an

This is a very special episode of the podcast this week as John and Jerry celebrate the release of their brand new book The Champion Teammate: Timeless Lessons to Connect, Compete and Lead in Sports and Life.  We are so excited for this collaboration, as it is the book all of our teams have been asking for the last few years; a book they can read together, study together, and have great group discussions about to help shape their culture, develop leaders, and build a stronger team bond.  In this episode we break down the reasons why we wrote the book, and share some of our favorite stories and chapters from each section. We explain how to use the book, and a special offer for our listeners. If you purchase and leave a review for the book by mid June, and then send us a screen shot of your review, we will invite you to a special live Zoom with John and Jerry where we will answer your questions and teach you how to implement the book. Please click here and grab yourself a copy of The Champion Teammate today.  P

We did a little something different this week and invited the entire coaching staff for the 2022 NCAA Champion UCLA Women's Soccer team. Head Coach Margeuritte Aozosa had a storied career as a player at Santa Clara and then great success as an Assistant Coach at Stanford before taking over the Bruins, and winning a championship in her first year was quite an accomplishment. In the podcast we break down how she and assistant coaches Molly Poletto and Gof Boyoko work together, share ideas, run training sessions, manage parent and player expectations, and much more. We also discuss the incredible NCAA final where UCLA came back in the final minutes and won in OT. It is a fascinating inside look into how a coaching staff functions in a high performance culture.   The Champion Teammate is Available for Pre-Order! Jerry and I have a new book due out May 22 about how to be a great teammate, and how your teams can connect, compete and lead better. We are taking pre-orders now, and also have released a sample chapter

Tom Bates is a UEFA A Licensed soccer coach and a well known Sport Psychologist who has worked with EPL clubs Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Brom and more, as well as with athletes in professional soccer, boxing, golf, swimming, and numerous other sports. He is the author of the amazing book The Future Coach, which we spoke about in Episode 152 of the Way of Champions Podcast. This episode is a reply of our conversation from 2017, and has so much incredible stuff including: How he got into performance psychology Only the weak need a psychologist” but even the best should be working with one You cannot coach in a freezing cold pool Tom shares a great practice from La Masia in Barcelona that helps develop their great culture Moving from I/You to “We” is a powerful way to deepen the learning and the resiliency of athletes Tom’s belief in the future of High-Performance Coaching The very first thing you should do to start a great culture and (maybe the most important) Four words you should imagine tattooed on