Way of Champions Podcast

This week John and Jerry host a fireside chat to discuss the mental health and well being of our athletes. For many kids, this month brings a close to their Fall sports season, and with many winter sports shut down (wrestling, basketball) many of our athletes may be experiencing more social isolation than ever before. We have been told by many parents that if it were not for sports this summer and fall, their son or daughter would have really been struggling. A University of Wisconsin study in May found that 65% of young athletes were experiencing anxiety symptoms, and 68% were experiencing depression. Physical activity levels have dropped 50% at the same time. The mental health and well being of our athletes has never been more at risk, and coaches and parents can make a difference. We give you specific things to look for, and specific tools to have the conversations with our kids and their parents that can make a difference. If you are a coach or parent, keep checking in with your athletes and make sure they are doing OK. Coaches, take some time to have a Zoom call or a one on one meeting with them. Keep connecting, and be aware of any alarming signs. Our children really need us now, and I am concerned about what the next few months have in store in terms of a return to lockdowns due to the spread of COVID (already happening in some countries and states). You are doing your most important work EVER right now, and likely it has very little to do with sports! The Way of Champions Podcast is brought to you by Sports Refund. When kids sign up to play youth sports there are always fees involved. And parents pay those fees so their child can be on the team, not the injury report. That’s why I love Sports Refund, and parents will too. Sports Refund is low-cost sports fee insurance – NOT health insurance, sports fee insurance. So if your child becomes injured or sick and can’t play, you get your fees reimbursed for that lost time, from one game to an entire season. It’s that simple. This product not only saves families wasted fees, it saves injured athletes the stress of feeling like they’re wasting their parents’ money. The fees come back until the player comes back. So they can focus on fully recovering and making a healthy return to the game. Sports Refund has options for individuals and organizations. Ask your club if they offer it, or visit SportsRefund.com/Game to learn more and sign up today. That’s SportsRefund.com/Game. Can’t Play? Don’t Pay. With Sports Refund. Highlights from the Podcast: Jerry shares about his time serving in the military  "The Power of Love" vs the "Love of Power" How to help kids during the pandemic Preparing for the “Invisible Competitor" "Earn the respect of those you resect and forget about everyone else." Clearing up the point of sport psychology professionals The value of listening to our athletes  “Feeling is function.” - Jerry Lynch Looking for changes in your athletes to help save them from quitting How sports helped Jerry as a child Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Travis Thomas. Travis Thomas is a best-selling author, well-known speaker, and the creator of LiveYesAnd.com. He currently works with US Soccer teaching leadership and culture to some of the best soccer player sin the world. During our time together, we dive into Travis’ journey to creating LiveYesAnd.com, using improv to help athletes perform better, and what it is like working with US Soccer. Thomas started “Live Yes, And!” to help individuals, teams, and companies discover their inner brilliance through a commitment to purpose, authenticity and collaboration. For more than two years, Thomas served as a leadership coach at IMG Academy where he worked with youth, collegiate and professional athletes from all over the world and all different sports. He used the games and exercises of improvisation, combined with personal development ideas, to teach mindset, teamwork, character and collaboration. For the last four years, Thomas has been traveling around the world to work with companies, schools and sports teams, and has presented to companies like AIG, Johnson & Johnson, and Citigroup and for sports teams including the Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, New York Yankees and Georgia Football. The Way of Champions Podcast is brought to you by Sports Refund. When kids sign up to play youth sports there are always fees involved. And parents pay those fees so their child can be on the team, not the injury report. That’s why I love Sports Refund, and parents will too. Sports Refund is low-cost sports fee insurance – NOT health insurance, sports fee insurance. So if your child becomes injured or sick and can’t play, you get your fees reimbursed for that lost time, from one game to an entire season. It’s that simple. This product not only saves families wasted fees, it saves injured athletes the stress of feeling like they’re wasting their parents’ money. The fees come back until the player comes back. So they can focus on fully recovering and making a healthy return to the game. Sports Refund has options for individuals and organizations. Ask your club if they offer it, or visit SportsRefund.com/Game to learn more and sign up today. That’s SportsRefund.com/Game. Can’t Play? Don’t Pay. With Sports Refund. Highlights from the Podcast: Travis talks about his journey to creating LiveYesAnd.com What is “Yes, And”? How using improv comedy can make athletes better teammates What was the best part about working at IMG in leadership development? Travis shares a story of an NFL quarterback using memories to change emotional state What it’s like working with US Soccer How does the character of a coach effect their ability to effectively coach? Check out Travis’s book "3 Words for Getting Unstuck" Connect with Travis: On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter   Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Bill Beaney, 8x NCAA Champion Hockey Coach. Coach Beaney has coached hockey teams in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and has been the head coach at Middlebury since 1986. He led the Middlebury hockey team to eight NCAA Division III men's ice hockey championships from 1995 to 2006 and ranks 11th all-time among college men's ice hockey coaches with 543 wins. The Way of Champions Podcast is brought to you by Sports Refund. When kids sign up to play youth sports there are always fees involved. And parents pay those fees so their child can be on the team, not the injury report. That’s why I love Sports Refund, and parents will too. Sports Refund is low-cost sports fee insurance – NOT health insurance, sports fee insurance. So if your child becomes injured or sick and can’t play, you get your fees reimbursed for that lost time, from one game to an entire season. It’s that simple. This product not only saves families wasted fees, it saves injured athletes the stress of feeling like they’re wasting their parents’ money. The fees come back until the player comes back. So they can focus on fully recovering and making a healthy return to the game. Sports Refund has options for individuals and organizations. Ask your club if they offer it, or visit SportsRefund.com/Game to learn more and sign up today. That’s SportsRefund.com/Game. Can’t Play? Don’t Pay. With Sports Refund. Highlights from the Podcast: Coach Beaney’s coaching journey Why is it important to change things up when things are going well? What is one of the best ways to find player success? How does coaching soccer and ice hockey make someone a better coach in both sports? How important is sharing ideas and communicating with players? Youth Sports and what is missing to make more athletes successful The importance of letting players experiment to help them fall in love with the game Developing leaders and inspiring athletes at a young age Have kids really changed? How to get players excited about practice and allow them to keep each other accountable   Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we share with you a replay of an interview we did back in 2018 with Kris Van Der Haegen, Belgian FA Director of Coach Education. 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 his secrets on this replay Way of Champions Podcast. About Kris Van Der Haegen Kris van der Haegen is Director of Coach Education for the Royal Belgian Football Association. A former high school teacher who speaks countless languages, and a member of the UEFA Jira Panel, Kris has been one of the main architects of the elevation of Belgian football to unheard-of levels of quality in recent years. Kris enjoys talking about how to make football better, especially for children and young people, yet he has also extensive experience coaching at the top level. he is currently an assistant coach with the Belgian Women’s National Team. Highlights from the Podcast: Crashing out of the 2000 European Championship was the wake-up call for Belgium Creation of the Vision of Youth Development The use of “multi-moves” training to prepare children for every sport Who is in front me? Training sessions must have opponents because the game has opponents No standings, no substitutions on the fly, every player must play at least 50% The four questions a coach should ask before a session Connect with Kris Van Der Haegen Twitter: @krisvdhaegen Twitter: @ICoachKids I Coach Kids: http://www.icoachkids.eu Email: kvdh@belgianfootball.de For the month of October, get 60% off of the audio version of Every Moment Matters by clicking here. Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Katherine Starr, a two time Olympian  at the 1984 and 1988 Games. In 1986 she won two silver medals at the Commonwealth Games. Katherine experienced success at the collegiate level in swimming for the University of Texas, participating on three NCAA championship teams and named 14-time All-American. Katherine founded Safe4Athletes in 2011 as a result of living for decades with pain and suffering from the tragic effects of coach athlete sexual abuse. Safe4Athletes was brought to life to help other athletes who have experienced the same destructive abuse of power in the coach athlete relationship. Safe4Athletes’ mission is to advocate for athletes that have been abused, bullied or harassed by their more powerful coach or teammate. Katherine has acted as an advocate for athletes involved in coach-athlete sexual abuse, athlete on athlete sexual abuse, athlete cyber-bullying, athlete sexual hazing as well as many forms of athletic abuse in general. Highlights from the Podcast: Kathrine shares her story as a young athlete being abused by her coach Why are so many who are being abused afraid to report what is happening to them? How can an athlete report abuse without losing their spot on a team? Why should parents read "Horton Hears a Who"? How are systems keeping in the abuse and what can we do about it? Where does the needed change come from? What is the goal of Safe4Athletes? To get in contact with Katherine, email her at katherine@safe4athletes.org For the month of October, get 60% off of the audio version of Every Moment Matters by clicking here. Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

We are so excited to announce the release of the audiobook version of Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. To celebrate the release, over the next few weeks we will be sharing with you select chapters from the book and offering you the opportunity as a podcast listener to get 60% off the regular price of the book by ordering through this link: www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook. In our third series of excerpts from our brand new audiobook Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams we delve into a question many coaches have never considered: what does it feel like to be coached by me? This segment of the book is all about creating the type of culture that drives behaviors that lead to success over time. In this excerpt, I tell the story of University of North Carolina Women's lacrosse coach Jenny Levy and her life changing conversation with a legendary UNC basketball coach, and we discuss how to establish your team's D.N.A., your Do Not Alter. Your DNA is a set of guiding principles understood by your athletes, coaches, parents and administrators, pursued by all in search of excellence. Enjoy, and if you have been enjoying the audiobook you can grab a copy for 60% off through November 1 2020 at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook. If you missed our other free excerpts you can grab part 1 here and part 2 here. Thanks everyone for listening!

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we talk with hockey coach Damian DiGulian and volleyball coach Bryan McDermand in a discussion about how to return to sport. Not only do we dive into returning to play, but we also all about college recruiting, saving kids from getting burned out, and what youth sports could be as a result of the pandemic. Damian DiGiulian returns to Saint Michael's for his ninth season as the men's ice hockey head coach in 2020-21. DiGiulian, who has also coached in the USA Hockey development system, is just the third head coach since the program was elevated to varsity status for the 1982-83 season. Click here for more information on Coach DiGiulian. Bryan McDermand has been coaching volleyball for over 15 years. On top of being a former collegiate indoor player/Open-level beach player, Bryan coached junior college, NCAA Division III, and NCAA Division I. Also, Bryan has coached juniors club full time and juniors in Beach Volleyball for the last  7 years. Visit his website at https://www.progressionvolleyball.com/. Highlights from the Podcast: Bryan talks about why he created Progression Volleyball Damian discusses his coaching journey What does practicing during a pandemic look like? How do we come back as better sports organizations? Getting seen versus getting better 5 Things athletes need to consider when looking for a scholarship Can we return to sport and also save kids from burnout? The recruiting process, good and bad How important is character to the recruiting process? Club sports and why they are so expensive Adapting practice and competitions during a pandemic For the month of October, get 60% off of the audio version of Every Moment Matters by clicking here. Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

We are so excited to announce the release of the audiobook version of Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. To celebrate the release, over the next few weeks we will be sharing with you select chapters from the book and offering you the opportunity as a podcast listener to get 60% off the regular price of the book by ordering through this link: www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook.  In this excerpt from Part II of Every Moment Matters, we speak about "How I Coach." Once you have done the inner work, it is important to make sure you are following the latest and greatest research on learning, skill acquisition, and athlete development, as there is a lot of misinformation out there. The goal of Part II of the book is to teach you to be the architect of a phenomenal learning environment, and we will share lessons from some of the top people in the world in practice design and building skill. "Context is not noise," says Andrew Wilson from Leeds Beckett University. "t's a signal." This excerpt will help you to create practices that give your athletes the best signals, and make the learning sticky.   If you are enjoying the book so far, you can grab the entire audiobook for only $9.95 until November 1 at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook.

This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Anthony Hudson, US Soccer U20 National Team Coach. We dive in to the ups and downs of being a professional coach, the importance of evolving as a coach, and what the most important thing a new coach should do when they take over a team.  Anthony has years of experience coaching and managing teams, including time at the helm of the New Zealand and Bahrain senior National Teams. With New Zealand, Hudson became the youngest ever head coach at the FIFA Confederations Cup after leading the All Whites to the 2016 OFC Nations Cup. Hudson holds a UEFA Pro License and most recently managed the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer. As a player, Hudson came up through the academy of Premier League club West Ham United and played there as well as at Eredivisie side NEC Nijmegen. In 2006, he started as a player-coach with the Wilmington Hammerheads in the former USL Second Division, launching his transition to the touchline. His first head coach position came with the Real Maryland Monarchs, also in the USL Second Division before he spent time as manager for the Tottenham Hotspur reserves and Newport County, a Welsh club in the fifth tier of English soccer. Check out Anthony’s podcast: Masterminds - High Performance Sports For the month of October, get 60% off of the audio version of Every Moment Matters by clicking here.   Highlights from the Podcast: Growing up around a father who was also a professional athlete Having confidence as a coach to create great players  Growing and evolving as a coach  Coaching while still playing and how that influenced Anthony later in life Anthony talks about his coaching journey Building trust with players Learning from doing Masterminds - High Performance Sports podcast The difference between cultural architects and cultural assassins  What is the most important thing a coach should bring to a team?   Help Support the Podcast! Become a Podcast Champion! …and get FREE access to ALL of our online courses. 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 have access to never before released and bonus material, including: Downloadable transcripts of the podcasts, so you don't have to crash your car trying to take notes! A monthly discussion with John, James, Jerry, and other special guests talking about the previous month's episodes and answering some of the FAQs we received that month A code to get free access to our online course called "Coaching Mastery," usually a $97 course, but yours for free for becoming a patron. Access to an online community of coaches like you who are dedicated listeners of the podcast, and will be able to answer your questions and share their coaching experiences. Thank you for all your support these past two 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

We are so excited to announce the release of the audiobook version of Every Moment Matters: How the World's Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams. To celebrate the release, over the next few weeks we will be sharing with you select chapters from the book and offering you the opportunity as a podcast listener to get 60% off the regular price of the book by ordering through this link: www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook.  This week we dive into Part I of the book, "Why I Coach." You will hear the book's introduction, plus the intro to Part I and Lesson 3: "The Goal is to Win; the Purpose is Something Much Deeper." In it, John shares how programs such as UNC Women's Soccer (winner of 22 national championships) and Messiah College Men's and Women's Soccer (winners of 16 national titles since 2000) play for a much higher purpose than "did we win." He also shares examples of youth programs that have achieved excellence on the field by focusing on a higher purpose off the field.   For the month of October 2020, you can save 60% and get the new audiobook of Every Moment Matters at www.ChangingTheGameProject.com/audiobook. So, if you like what you heard here, grab yourself a copy today!