Today, Coach Matthess and Coach Lovell get back together after a 995 day hiatus. Life has changed for us both since we had our last podcast, but we are both excited to share this message with you. We break down how coaches can approach the opportunity to be a head coach. Before the interview and once you get the job are two different things; however, they are both important. Sometimes just getting the job isn't enough, you need to do your homework before you apply and you need to be ready to set...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 1
What does a coach who hasn't lost a football game since 2014 sound like and think about? Tune to listen to Coach Carl Fruechte of Caledonia High School in Minnesota. You HAVE to listen. And take notes. That's all we can say. For questions or show suggestions, send us an email @ lifeleadpg@gmail.com. Thank you for listening. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify Podcast or any other medium you use for Podcasts.
Aug 02, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Head Women's Basketball Coach at Cornell College, Brent Brase, takes us on the fastest hour you'll ever be a part of! Listen to what Coach Brase has to say about building happiness and what he does to create in his athletes for the long term. He has a vast amount of experience and truly understands what it means to "be where your feet are". He has coached men and women along his journey and doesn't shy away from areas that he had to grow in during his career. However, the process he has develope...
Jul 26, 2020•59 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Head Coach and AD, Tony Johnson, from WT White High School in Dallas, TX joins us for a powerful hour to breakdown leadership and his recently published book 'Faith on The Field - The Pastoral Ministry of a Coach'. He describes what he has on his whiteboard to keep him in check when dealing the people in his field, whether it is a player, coach, parent or other administrator. He has gained a lot wisdom in his almost 30 years of coaching and many stops along the way. Hear how Coach Johnson reflec...
Jul 20, 2020•59 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Lincoln Christian in Nebraska joins us for a powerful hour on creating cultural momentum in your program or business. He's created a Culture Coordinator business that helps assess motivation levels for teams, and then helps move people up a motivation ladder that makes identifying outliers in your program very easy to do. Coach Earl is committed to the success of his school and football program, but he doesn't define success through wins and losses! I...
Jul 12, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Coach Frank Howell is a Girls Basketball Coach here in the beautiful state of Iowa. He has been a State Champion, 3x Runner-Up, Collegiate Coach, Large HS Coach, Small HS Coach, Classroom Teacher....Frank Howell has done it all! He will be taking over Central Decatur's program this fall and has a little downtime and he joins us tonight to breakdown his view of leadership and how it applies to so many facets of life. What are his non-negotiables as coach? What is a Leader's job, and how do they l...
Jul 05, 2020•52 min•Season 2Ep. 16
We bring back our most popular guest, Coach/AD Duane Orr (@Duane_Orr), for our FIRST LIVE podcast! We are going to discuss 5 Red Flags you need to pay attention to, and how to flip the script on those! You'll be glad you listened. Get your note pad out... 1) Are you having fun? 2) Do you have a prevailing sense of value? 3) Do you have more and more negative feelings about the work you do or environment? 4) Do you have health issues that are being overlooked or creeping up on you? 5) Are you in ...
Jul 01, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 15
The first time our podcast has taken us over The Pond! We are thrilled to share an hour with English Football (not American Football, think soccer) Coach Ali Speechly. She speaks truth into the beautiful game and how it has evolved slower than she would like to incorporate more females into the game. She has coached youth professional teams in the UK, but is currently a youth Grassroots Club coach. Her message of engage, educate and empower is driven by her desire to help young females to believ...
Jun 28, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Nate Albaugh, by all measures, is humble, unassuming, and driven. Get to know the owner of Chiefpigskin.com and you quickly find out he's a leader you'll follow anywhere! We are fortunate to spend time with this Former Head Football coach, driven entrepreneur, and dedicated family man. He is as passionate about helping others as he is producing exceptional content for other coaches to grow from. When you listen to this podcast, you will feel the energy that Coach Albaugh brings to us and to thos...
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Williamsburg Head Football Coach, Curt Ritchie, shows how critical it is to be genuine in everything you do as a leader! He has a strong history of success with 18 playoff appearances in the 20 years he’s been there. Coach Ritchie cares more than he lets on, and you can feel the passion he has to create success for those he leads. Tune in to be the best version of yourself, and learn how to lead with genuine, authentic, selfless passion! If you want to reach out to Coach Ritchie, you can email h...
Jun 21, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 12
He’s the President of California Coaches Association, he’s a documented legal analyst, he’s been a Head Football Coach, and he’s been an Athletic Director. His new position is in administration where he will get to lead a Charter School! If you want to learn the ins and outs of how to stand out as a coach, be a more informed leader, and hear directly from what administrators look for in their coaches then you will NOT want to miss a minute of this episode. Chris Fore is available to help anyone ...
Jun 16, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Grand Valley State Head Football Coach, Matt Mitchell, leaves no doubt about the direction his program is going! What does precise, elite communication look like? What does empowering staff and players look like? How does he listen and still develop accountability? Listen in to this episode to hear all of what “Mitch” has to say about his definition of leadership and how to build greatness is everyone he coaches. Coach Mitchell is prepared, precise, and disciplined, just like his program, and lo...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 10
If you’re interested in building serious culture through simple leadership principles, you won’t want to miss this episode. North Forney HS Head Football Coach, Randy Jackson, gets real with the process of developing and owning an elite culture. It’s a daily fist fight and he is not afraid to have critical conversations with both his coaches and players to make sure everyone is holding up to the standard. He has a tremendous amount of resources available on his website www.coachrandyjackson.com,...
Jun 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 9
State Runner-Up Coach at St. Charles North High School, Rob Pomazak, gives an inside look at how he has evolved as a leader in his program. His message is powerful for any coach looking to be better at installing a culture that evolves to match the vision of the program. Coach Pomazak's method is driven by giving everyone in his program an opportunity to have a life-changing experience. It is not engineered around trying to accumulate wins. Rather, his goal is to drive behavior through shared ex...
Jun 03, 2020•55 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Hall of fame Coach, Jim Aikens, has been coaching the throws since 1984. Currently he is coaching at Burlington Central HS by St. Charles, IL. He was the head coach at William Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois from 1990 - 2017. During this time Jim’s throwers have medaled at national competitions, won four state championships and 20 other state medals. Jim's throwers have also won numerous sectional and conference championships. Jim has had 5 throwers toss the shot 60 feet or better. Jim h...
May 31, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 7
This is our 2nd time around with Coach Hines. He has a strong message for leaders as we come out the COVID-19 pandemic, and one that you need to listen to. Understanding how your response to each person is vital to empowering and building trust with those you lead and serve. Be willing to adapt and change and love. This pandemic will refine our skills and ability to lead! Find Coach Hines Twitter: @coachkurthines.
May 27, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 6
What does it mean to Expect Victory? West Delaware Head Coach Doug Winkowitsch generously gives of his time to talk with us about how he instills this core value in his program, and how it applies to so much more than the game of football. We can all take this concept and apply it to our own lives! The small town of Manchester, IA, is ALL-IN on their football program! It is evident in the way Coach Wink's program has had an enormous track record of success in his 16 years at the helm, including ...
May 24, 2020•56 min•Season 2Ep. 5
You have to make a choice when you leader a program about who you are and what you stand for! Coach Bliss of Prairie High School in the College Community District has been a part of many programs at all different levels. He shares his wisdom and experience with us today to give leaders in every form the opportunity to grow. Listen carefully as he explains the GOLD Standard vital to his message, along with the 5 L's critical to all team's success. Every great leader is magical story-teller, and t...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 4
If you want to learn how to build relationships and accountability in your program or business, listen to THIS podcast. Coach Forsyth has a wealth of experience at both the High School and Division 1 Collegiate Level that he shares. He's built relationships everywhere he has coached, through discipline and accountability, while turning these programs into strong contenders! He has a simple philosophy: Choose your attitude, effort and toughness, along with a Whatever It Takes mentality and you wi...
May 17, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 3
6-Time State Championship Winner, Teresa Bair, joins our podcast to breakdown her success at all levels of coaching. She was the coach for over 20 years at small town Tripoli (pronounced Tri-Poh-Luh), IA, then moved on to the college scene at Loras College, and finished her career at one of the biggest school in the State of Iowa, Linn-Mar. Coach Bair managed to get the heart of her athletes by teaching them to truly embrace their role on her teams, while maximizing each team's talent through co...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Dynamic Head Coach, Speaker and Author, Kenny Simpson, from Southside Batesville High School in Arkansas absolutely gives us reason to believe Football Coaches are some of the best human beings around. Coach Simpson is an open book in all aspects of his program and knowledge. He believes that it our professional obligation to give back to what has given us so much. He is passionate, dedicated, and wants to leave his program in a better place than he found it! Listen today about how he has purpos...
May 10, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Mark Esch, Head Coach at Minnetonka HS in MN, offers a detailed breakdown of his non-fiction book Rise of the Warriors. It is a narrative about a coach who transformed a town in to a perennial powerhouse. This story is not about X's & O's, it's about getting to the heart of the people you lead. The book and podcast are musts if you want to be better in all facets of your life. Coach Esch is firmly entrenched in what he believes because of the influence of one man, Carl Fruechte. There are 8 ...
May 06, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 21
State Championship Coach, Brian Wheatley, of North Linn Girl's Basketball, joins us on the podcast to breakdown how he turned a program around and made it a perennial powerhouse. His philosophy is simple: Create relationships, hold people accountable, and trust his coaches to create consistency and urgency for everyone involved. He is no nonsense in his approach, and we loved every minute of our conversation! You can reach Coach Wheatley on Twitter @LynxGBB.
May 03, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Gabe Bakker is the Head Football Coach of Clear Creek-Amana in Tiffin, IA and he talks about his journey and philosophy of coaching. He comes from a family of coaches, and has been mentored by some of the best in the State of Iowa in Tom Wilson and Dan McCarney. He shares how discipline, accountability and passion are staples of his program and why they will be a force to dealt with in the coming years. He is a humble leader and is generous with his time to give back to this profession! He can b...
Apr 29, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 19
State Champion Head Coach, Eric Trudo, from Van Meter High School challenges us to be better coaches and men in our conversation about leading by following. He produces a program that exudes excellence and it is because he has leaned into those who came before him. He shares his compelling story of how he has adapted and grown as a man and coach to lead one of the most successful programs in the State of Iowa. He is deliberate and intentional in his organization and attention to detail, along wi...
Apr 26, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Dowling Catholic in Des Moines, IA has won 7 straight HS Football State Championships and is THE powerhouse in the State of Iowa. There is a method to the madness, according to Head Coach, Tom Wilson. He's been successful at both small schools and now a large 4A school in Iowa, and his formula is not complicated. Unlike many things that appear simple, it is NOT easy to do what Coach Wilson has done. However, his experiences and willingness to learn and grow as a leader have proven to vital to hi...
Apr 22, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 17
We take a deep dive with Bemidji State's Head Football Coach, Brent Bolte to discuss what allows him to be successful in his program. It starts with humble roots, and empowering those he serves through hard work, discipline, accountability and love. Coach Bolte took over a program that was in the middle of crisis; and, he calmed the storm, righted the ship and now has bigger goals for his program! We appreciate him spending time with us, and you will be a better leader after you listen to this! ...
Apr 19, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Former Cornell College Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, Steve Miller, delivers a powerful message on the importance of servant leadership. Coach Miller draws on his experiences in and out of the game of football to dive deep into how to be a leader worth following. We learn a lot from his breakdown of what Authoritarian and Authentic leadership looks, feels, and acts like in a team culture. This is another episode you will want to have pad and paper for to take notes! Thank you, Coach ...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 15
We are honored to be joined by University of Iowa's Head Baseball Coach, Rick Heller, as he discusses his journey through coaching and developing his vision as a Coach. He has contagious passion for building a strong, tangible culture. We learn how he landed at Iowa, his absolutes in coaching, and his approach to creating a culture to drive behavior that get results. It doesn't get better than this! Here we go.
Apr 12, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Longtime HS Coach and Administrator, Duane Orr, takes us on the journey of helping people develop their purpose! It is not a journey for the faint of heart, but one that takes intention, commitment and connection. Coach Orr gives us his definition of leadership; and, shares his life experiences to give us insight on how to create meaningful experiences for those you serve. The need for continuous improvement is required to grow as individual and will take you places you've never imagined. Thank ...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 13
