Way Of Champions Podcast

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, she has guided the Wolverines to at least 20 wins in nine seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances, an NCAA Elite Eight appearance (2022), an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance (2021) and the 2017 WNIT Championship. Barnes Arico is the winningest coach in program history with 218 wins, the only coach to ever eclipse 200 victories.  Prior to joining the Maize and Blue, she spent 10 seasons at the helm of the St. John's women's hoops program, building the Red Storm into a national power. She guided St. John's to four NCAA Tournament appearances, with the Red Storm advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2012.   Barnes Arico compiled a 176-133 overall record and five 20-win campaigns at St. John's. She was a two-time Big East Coach of the Year (2006, 2012) and had 11 players earn

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 high performance athlete development and has held visiting researcher/professor positions in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. His research considers the varying influences on optimal human development, ranging from issues affecting athlete development and skill acquisition to barriers and facilitators of optimal aging. Joe is author/editor of 9 books and hundreds of peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He works with several Canadian high performance sports teams (e.g., Golf Canada, Wheelchair Basketball Canada) and organizations (e.g., Own the Podium, the Canadian Sport Institutes/Centres, the Canadian Paralympic Committee) in their quests for international success. More info on his research can be found at yor

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 left us far too soon, with so much more to give. He was a massive supporter of this podcast, Way of Champions, Changing the Game Project, and many others in the field of sport psychology and leadership. Who was Greg? In July of 2018, Dale was named to the newly-created Integrative Performance Excellence Group at Duke University, a unit comprised of directors in the areas of Sports Performance, Athletic Medicine, Sports Nutrition and Behavioral Health, as well as individuals representing psychological services, team physicians and primary care physicians.  He was the Director of Sports Psychology and Leadership. The goal of this working group is to enhance the experience of Duke student-athletes by providing an integrative approach to the care of each individual athlete throughout his or he

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, most recently as the Director of Sport Development. He is one of the most sought after coach educators and speakers in the coach development space. John served as the staff liaison for Disabled Programs, USA Deaf Olympic Teams, Starlings USA, National Parks and Recreation Assoc., the YMCA and over 30 other Affiliated Organizations working with USAV. He was Secretary of the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, and Director of Development for World ParaVolley. He was Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine’s special Centennial issue named him one of the 50 most impor

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 founder of start-ups. In 2008, he established EcSell Institute to fill a void he witnessed and personally experienced in the coaching and leadership profession within businesses. Since then, Ecsell’s research and improvement programming expanded into the athletic and academic worlds. In 2017 and again in 2022, Bill took to the TEDx stage, where he shared his research and experiences in renowned talks that have five million views. Most recently, Bill co-authored The Coaching Effect: What great leaders do to increase sales, enhance performance, and sustain growth, which became an Amazon best-selling book in its first week of launching in 2019.In our interview today he takes his research and data from the busin

This week on the podcast we take a deep dive into what exactly is abusive coaching and how parents and coaches can take steps to stop it. To do so we gathered three experts in the field of bullying and coaching abuse to join John and Jerry for a fascinating discussion.  Dr. Amy Saltzman a holistic physician, mindfulness coach, long-time athlete, and a member of the US Soccer Participant Safety Taskforce. She’s had the privilege of being recognized by her peers as a visionary and pioneer in the fields of holistic medicine and mindfulness for athletes, coaches, and other high performers, kids, teens, parents, teachers, therapists, and allied professionals. We had her on episode 77 talking about her book A Still Quiet Place for Athletes and now her new organization is Spot a Spider, which teaches children, teens, and young adults how to protect themselves and others from all types of abuse: sneaky (covert) emotional abuse (also known as grooming), and obvious (overt) emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Check i

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 multiple US Opens, Dew Tour events, and has appeared in numerous Warren Miller ski films. In 2006 and 2007 she won X Games gold medals in the half pipe. She also served as the President of the Women's Sports Foundation for two years before resuming her professional skiing career. Check out her podcast "What's Your Line with Grete" for some amazing interviews. In our discussion today we discuss how Grete balances courage and fear when attempting difficult tricks, jumps and dangerous ski descents, where confidence comes from, how to find your passion, and so much more. Get inside he mind of a world class athlete. This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports.  Sprocket Sports is a ne

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 as punishment do we need a national sports governing body in the US? If my club or school does not align with my values when I am coaching, should I leave? How do we improve grassroots coaching, and what should we teach them first? We had a great time answering these questions and plan to do another one in the near future, so please become a podcast champion and send them our way for our next go.  One special note: this week we surpassed 2 MILLION DOWNLOADS of this podcast which is amazing, and that is thanks to all of you incredible listeners who take the time each week to listen and share our work. We are even more fired up than ever to keep bringing you amazing guests and topics in the future, but

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 the Blue Angels, command of a fleet Super Hornet squadron, and TOPGUN Instructor, with worldwide deployments aboard aircraft carriers, including major combat operations. In academia, Ryan has complemented his operational expertise with the study of strategy, cyber, culture, leadership and ethics. Ryan served as the Director of Leadership and Character Development and an ethics professor at the United States Naval Academy. He was twice selected to serve in strategic roles as a Director Fellow for the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, and as the Navy’s Federal Executive Fellow at MIT. Ryan received a B.A. Degree from the University of California in Cultural Anthropology and is a Distinguished Gradu

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 was part of the famous Dutch Youth Academy structure. Unfortunately, his dream of a professional career ended as a chronic injury forced him to retire at the young age of 18. This disadvantage became an advantage as Verheijen started his coaching career at the age of 19. He studied Exercise Physiology and Sport Psychology at the Free University Amsterdam and completed his Masters Degrees in 1995. In 1995, Verheijen developed his Masters thesis into the book ‘Conditioning for Soccer’ which became the coach education book of the Dutch FA (KNVB) in 1997. Verheijen became a pro-license instructor at the Dutch FA in 1998.  In 2014, Verheijen published the best-selling book ‘Football Periodisation’. Mor

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 education site Mind/Shift, where she is a regular contributor. Previously Flanagan was a national security analyst at the National Security Program, Harvard University. She is also a mother of three and lifelong athlete. Linda and John discuss her new book Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports, and Why it Matters. We cover how sport has become a business, how much pressure is on parents to do more and more at younger ages, how the fact that sports help kids get into and pay for college is driving much of the mania, and so much more. She has compiled the latest research on the economic and social impacts of sport, as well as research post-COVID. It

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 of defense, was the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and negotiated with them in peace talks. He and his unit defied conventional wisdom in Afghanistan by motivating a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war. His unique warrior-diplomacy has been featured in New York Times bestselling books and media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He has written two books on the topic, Zero Sum Victory and Leadership: The Warrior's Art.  Kolenda is currently on the Fallen Hero Honor Ride, on which he is paying tribute to

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 works with executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their performance and mental skills. He's served as a consultant on mental skills development for professional sports teams, including some of the top teams and athletes in professional sports. His writing has appeared in Outside, Runner's World, Forbes, Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, and a variety of other outlets. In addition, Steve's expertise on elite sport and performance has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Guardian, Business Insider, and ESPN The Magazine. Steve received his undergraduate degree from the University of Houston and a graduate degree from George Mason University

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 and soul. His is a story of strength, resilience, faith, courage, and determination – surviving five surgeries, financial challenges, and periods of homelessness to return to play in the NFL. Today he is the Director of Alumni Relations for the Washington Commanders and a speaker who shares his story of resilience and inspiration. Get ready to be inspired this week. Hightower’s story of his recovery from injury, as told in A DREAM WORTH FIGHTING FOR: Never Let Obstacles Stop You From Being Your Best Self with co-author William Sachs, will resonate with everybody who has been injured, suffered, or had their lifelong dream derailed. He is the only NFL running back to return to play four years after an injury. But more, he

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 sustainable high performance leaders, teams, and organizations. His passion for unleashing the collective potential of people has led him to cofound Noomii.com, the web’s largest network of independent life coaches, Skillsetter.com, the deliberate practice platform for interpersonal skills, and Zarango.com, the psychological safety training experts. Stephan has worked with legendary Harvard professor Amy Edmondson on a psychological safety study, and his writing has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and other popular publications. If you would like to take a free psychological safety evaluation with your team, go to www.zarango.com/freepsi  This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports

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, he has used his athletic journey as a model and inspiration for countless athletes on the PGA Tour, NBA, WTA, MLB and at the collegiate level. Now working as a mental performance coach, Seth brings a unique perspective and understanding of high performance environments that have helped his clients excel at the highest levels of sport. In our conversation today, Jerry and John unpack Seth's journey, discuss whether obsession is a healthy or unhealthy thing, and explore Seth's unique ability to see failure and adversity as positive developments that lead to growth. You can connect with Seth at www.sethpepper.com or on social media @sethpepper.  This week’s podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket S

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 experience can sometimes get overlooked. To bring this essential component--arguably the most essential component in youth sport--to the forefront, Satori is using enterprise-grade analytics techniques to measure and improve youth soccer experiences. In measuring things like retention, player enjoyment, and parent satisfaction, clubs & associations are more quickly improving their programming for the benefit of their players. Satori Soccer is currently engaged with many large youth sport organizations and is actively surveying membership and using the data to guide better coaching and programming decisions for the clubs.  In our conversation today, Adam explains many of the key find

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 Programs, USA Deaf Olympic Teams, Starlings USA, National Parks and Recreation Assoc., the YMCA and over 30 other Affiliated Organizations working with USAV. He was Secretary of the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, and Director of Development for World ParaVolley. He was Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine’s special Centennial issue named him one of the 50 most important people in the sport in the past 100 years. In 2013 the American Volleyball Coaches Association inducted him a

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 2021, Aranda's Bears tied for the best turnaround in college football, boasting a ten-win improvement from the previous year, including a school-record five wins against ranked opponents. Aranda came to Waco after four seasons as associate head coach and defensive coordinator at LSU, including a 2020 National Championship and a 2019 SEC Championship. Widely considered one of the top defensive minds in football, Aranda has a track record of producing NFL-ready players. In this conversation with John and Jerry, originally recorded for the 2022 Way of Champions Virtual Conference, Dave talks about his coaching journey, his first introduction to the Way of Champions through Jerry's book Thinking Body, Dancing Mind, and their long friendship

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 taught math and coached at Lubbock Monterey High School where he served as an assistant coach in the men’s basketball program from 1988 to 1995.  In 1996, Gomez accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Lubbock Cooper High School, where he remained until returning to Lubbock Christian University to take over the reins of the Lady Chaps in 2003. He led the Lady Chaps to 10 straight NAIA tournament appearances and oversaw their transition to NCAA Division II. Since then, the Lady Chaps have won the NCAA II National Championship in 2016, 2019 and 2021, He also served with USA Basketball as an assistant coach for the U16 and U17 girls National Team, winning the FIBA America’s Cup in 2017 and the FIBA World Cup in