Capital Allocators – Inside the Institutional Investment Industry

Coach Paul Assaiante – Leading People to Greatness (Capital Allocators, EP.307)

Apr 10, 2023

Paul Assaiante, the winningest coach in college sports history, shares wisdom from his 30 years at Trinity College, leading the squash team to 17 national titles. He discusses confronting fear through his philosophy of 'Run to the Roar' and the importance of emotional regulation. The conversation explores navigating obsession versus perseverance, the impact of transparency in team dynamics, and the necessity of allowing children to embrace failure for growth. His unique journey highlights how sports strategies can translate into valuable lessons for leadership and personal development.

01:02:06

Creator website

Episode guests

Paul Assaiante

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

6min

From Humble Beginnings to Coaching Stardom

3min

Navigating Obsession and Perseverance in Coaching

25min

Confronting Fear: The Philosophy of 'Run to the Roar'

4min

Transforming a Squash Legacy

12min

The Complexity of Transparency in Competitive Team Dynamics

3min

The Importance of Ownership and Embracing Failure in Child Development

3min

Reflections on Coaching: Growth and Relationships

9min

Coach Paul Assaiante is the winningest coach in college sports history. For 30 years until announcing his retirement at the end of this season, Coach led the Trinity College squash program to 17 national championships and 20 finals appearances in the last 25 years, including at one point winning 252 straight matches and 13 straight national titles. In his final season, Trinity’s squash team entered the national championships with the #6 seed and rode an almost fairy tale bookend to Coach’s career to the finals and within a single point of an 18th national title. Paul also coached the USA National Team in squash for 17 years, Trinity’s men’s tennis squad for 24 years, and World Team Tennis with Billie Jean King in its heyday. In 2010, he authored Run to the Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear, one of my favorite books on sports and leadership. Perhaps what is most fascinating about the soft-spoken Coach is he knew nothing about squash when he got his first coaching job. His true expertise is in managing, motivating, and inspiring a diverse group of players to be the best version of themselves. Our conversation covers Coach Paul’s path and a career’s worth of wisdom about preparation, emotional regulation, managing high performing individuals on a team, diversity, facing fear, learning to win and lose, and applying the lessons to the business world and next generation.

For full show notes, visit the episode webpage here.

Learn More

Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn

Subscribe to the mailing list

Access Transcript with Premium Membership

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.