Way of Champions Podcast

Brad Stulberg, researcher, writer, and coach on sustainable excellence, shares ideas from his book about redefining excellence as meaningful, value-aligned growth. He contrasts performative “pseudo” excellence with heartfelt striving. Short conversations cover flow versus long-term excellence, feeling as the start of performance, curiosity as an antidote to fear, life periodization, and digital sabbath practices.

Dr. Jim Loehr, a performance psychology pioneer, and Dr. Haley Perlus, an expert in applying elite athlete strategies to business, delve into the transformative power of mindset. They explore the science of gratitude as a tool for stress management and personal growth. Learn how to coach your inner voice for better performance and the importance of reframing pressure as a privileged opportunity. The duo emphasizes a hidden scorecard aligned with personal values and advocates for the fulfillment found in serving others alongside achieving success.

Cara Stawicki, a World Champion rower and mental performance coach, shares her journey from a late national team debut at 34 to winning gold in 2019. She discusses overcoming self-doubt, the importance of resilience, and how athletes can leverage mental skills training like strength conditioning. Cara emphasizes focusing on controllables, trusting the process, and reframing limiting beliefs. She also highlights the value of mentorship and the significance of pursuing one's passions despite challenges, encouraging listeners to follow their heart's desires.

Tom Farrey, executive director of the Aspen Institute's Sports & Society Program and founder of Project Play, shares his mission to increase youth sports participation. They discuss his recent testimony to Congress about the pressures facing young athletes and the significant benefits of getting kids active. Tom highlights the 63x30 initiative aiming for 63% of kids in sports by 2030, offers insights on funding through sports betting revenue, and emphasizes community-level access and coach education as crucial to reforming youth sports.

Joey Leonardo, a promising professional freeride skier from Edwards, Colorado, has made waves by qualifying for the 2026 Freeride World Tour. He shares insights on navigating extreme terrains, emphasizing the mental challenges like visualization techniques to manage fear. Joey reflects on his unique journey, coached by his father and fueled by joy and camaraderie in the sport. He discusses balancing college with competition, scaling up to bigger challenges, and how behind-the-scenes work is critical to success in freeride skiing.

Linda Flanagan, a seasoned freelance journalist and former track coach, discusses her impactful book Take Back the Game. She dives into the commercialization of youth sports and the pressure on parents to invest in their children's athletic careers. Flanagan highlights how financial investment often diminishes kids' enjoyment and stresses the importance of intrinsic motivation. They also cover the negative effects of elite sports culture on well-being and the necessity of re-envisioning sports into a more equitable and fun environment for young athletes.

Joe Baker, a prominent sports scientist and author, dives deep into the complexities of talent development and athlete engagement. He reveals why traditional talent identification methods can be damaging and often overlook many potential stars. The conversation emphasizes long-term enjoyment over pressure, presents talent as individual differences, and the importance of balancing skill acquisition with joy. Baker also discusses the role of character skills in future success and advocates for holistic approaches to athlete development that prioritize mental health.

Harrison Bernstein is the founder of Soldiers To Sidelines (STS) and has served as executive director since May 2014. STS evolved from a passion project to a burgeoning nonprofit once Harrison resigned from coaching college and professional football to focus 100% on the STS mission. Harrison was able to attract key advisors and officers to help steward the mission. Since 2018, the board has grown to over 21 leaders in the military, sports, and business, and has built a staff of 9 employees. Harrison led his team to develop key partners and sponsors such as USO, Team RWB, Wounded Warrior Project, Women Veterans Alliance, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, the Randy Walker Legacy Foundation and the NFL NY Jets. In fact, he was awarded the NFL Salute To Service Nomination by the NY Jets for the second time this past year. Most recently Harrison authored and published "The Everyday Coach: Harnessing the Magic of Influence." The book is provided free to every STS Soldier Coach and all profits from sales support Soldiers To Sidelines. Harrison also hosts "Harrison Bernstein's Everyday Coach," an accompanying podcast that highlights leadership lessons learned from military heroes, business executives, and coaches to steward the craft of coaching in everyday life. In the past, Harrison has coached football and sports performance for several teams in the NFL, NCAA DIV I, II, and III, and at the high school level. While coaching, Harrison taught in the Master's Program of Exercise Science at George Washington University for seven years. Harrison graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Economics, was voted captain of the football team, and earned All American honors for three years and Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997. Connect at www.SoldierstoSidelines.org BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John or one of our speaking team come to your school, club or coaching event? We are booking November and December 2025 and Winter/Spring 2026 events, please email us to set up an introductory call John@ChangingTheGameProject.com PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS, AND JOIN 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS FROM SYRACUSE MENS LAX, UNC AND NAVY WOMENS LAX, AND MCLAREN F1! These are just the most recent championship teams using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes and support teams. Many of these coaches are also getting THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT so their team parents can be part of a successful culture. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you? We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school and collegiate sports programs in the country, will your team be next? Click here to visit John's author page on Amazon Click here to visit Jerry's author page on Amazon Please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com if you want discounted pricing on 10 or more books on any of our books. Thanks everyone. This week's podcast is brought to you by our friends at Sprocket Sports. Sprocket Sports is a new software platform for youth sports clubs. Yeah, there are a lot of these systems out there, but Sprocket provides the full enchilada. They give you all the cool front-end stuff to make your club look good– like websites and marketing tools – AND all the back-end transactions and services to run your business better so you can focus on what really matters – your players and your teams. Sprocket is built for those clubs looking to thrive, not just survive, in the competitive world of youth sports clubs. So if you've been looking for a true business partner – not just another app – check them out today at https://sprocketsports.me/CTG. BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER OF CHANGING THE GAME PROJECT TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST If you or your club/school is looking for all of our best content, from online courses to blog posts to interviews organized for coaches, parents and athletes, then become a premium member of Changing the Game Project today. For over a decade we have been creating materials to help change the game. and it has become a bit overwhelming to find old podcasts, blog posts and more. Now, we have organized it all for you, with areas for coaches, parents and even athletes to find materials to help compete better, and put some more play back in playing ball. Clubs please email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com for pricing. Become a Podcast Champion! This weeks podcast is also sponsored by our Patreon Podcast Champions. Help Support the Podcast and get FREE access to our Premium Membership, with well over $1000 of courses and materials. If you love the podcast, we would love for you to become a Podcast Champion, (https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions) for as little as a cup of coffee per month (OK, its a Venti Mocha), to help us up the ante and provide even better interviews, better sound, and an overall enhanced experience. Plus, as a $10 per month Podcast Super-Champion, you will be granted a Premium Changing the Game Project Membership, where you will have access to every course, interview and blog post we have created organized by topic from coaches to parents to athletes. Thank you for all your support these past eight years, and a special big thank you to all of you who become part of our inner circle, our patrons, who will enable us to take our podcast to the next level. https://www.patreon.com/wayofchampions

Gary Gait, a lacrosse legend and head coach at Syracuse University, shares his impressive journey from player to coach, detailing his multiple championship wins. He discusses creating a player-led culture in professional lacrosse, emphasizing relationship-building over punishment. Gait also shares insights on treating men's and women's lacrosse as one game, and the importance of adapting to change. With anecdotes about overcoming challenges and fostering belief in his players, Gait's passion for the game radiates as he explores innovation in coaching.

John Lind, the Director of Education and Research at the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, shares his insights from years of experience as a player and coach. He emphasizes creating enjoyable environments for youth hockey while retaining players longer. Lind discusses the advantages of small-sided games for skill development and decision-making, along with the importance of biobanding to counteract selection biases in age-group hockey. He champions volunteer coaching and urges parents to value slow, patient development over rushing ahead, all anchored in fun and engagement.