We've got another awesome episode lined up for you today! We're talking to a private instructor this time and the specific, actionable ways she trains her athletes to help them overcome the dreaded fear of failure. So many girls deal with this and just as many coaches struggle to figure out how to get them over this hurdle! That's where we come in! Tiffany Deering shares her story of getting over her fear at the University of Michigan and how she uses that now to train fearless competitors... no...
Sep 14, 2020•40 min•Ep. 99
Many coaches we talk to want quick, actionable things they can do with their girls to build their mental game. Bonus if they can be worked right into the practice plan or games. That's exactly what today's guest shares!
Sep 07, 2020•33 min•Ep. 98
What will it take to get your girls to COMPETE? Jake Thompson of Compete Every Day has an idea! First of all, thank you for your patience with this episode release. Been all-consumed by our Bootcamp, but now I'm back! And man do I have a great guest for you today :) We often hear from coaches how frustrating it can be that this generation just doesn't seem to COMPETE. But is it really just the way they are? Or is it something that can be trained? That's what we discuss in today's episode! Hint: ...
Aug 31, 2020•33 min•Ep. 97
You're probably noticing a trend in coaching... Coaching the PERSON before the PLAYER It might be a little intimidating at first. Your reaction may even be like mine was: "I just wanna coach softball!" But then when you step back and realize why you're doing this... To help develop strong young women on & off the field To teach them life lessons through softball To make a difference Then you realize you're already on the right track! So listen in to today's guest, Alabama's Coach Patrick Mur...
Aug 17, 2020•30 min•Ep. 96
Tips from one of softball's GOATs: Natasha Watley! Your players may not know today's guest as well as I do because she played before the softball on TV boom... But they SHOULD! She's the type of person you want your athletes to emulate. She's Hard-working and committed to getting her job done - even when it's hard! Great at staying focused on the present and the task at hand Confident in her ability to achieve any goal she sets because she knows she'll work for it! So this would be a great episo...
Aug 10, 2020•22 min•Ep. 95
In this episode, we share an overview of Alicia's Team Bootcamp! Sweet Spotters have big aspirations for their teams. They usually revolve around working on 3 main things: Getting (and keeping) our girls motivated Holding them accountable for the work it takes Building their confidence in their ability to execute This is where the momentum seems to slow for most people. We have great intentions and ideas. Plus we sure as heck put in the time reading, learning and growing as coaches to help our g...
Aug 03, 2020•23 min•Ep. 94
One superpower I think we have in the sports world is the ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together for a common purpose. That skill is why I'm proud to be a part of the softball community. We are one of the most inclusive groups I've ever seen, and I hope to continue that trend. Because if we don't, we could miss out on amazing softball minds like today's guest! Listen in as she shares her perspective on diversity and unifying a team toward a common goal: being a top 25 team!...
Jul 27, 2020•41 min•Ep. 93
Regardless of who's in the other dugout I'm willing to bet you've been here before... You have a strong team that's experienced success before, but now... They're falling short of expectations Nobody is really sure what the issue is, and You're starting to wonder if you can get out of the rut Fortunately - we all know that last one is just frustration. Of COURSE we can get out of the rut! It just takes some reflection, planning and a fire inside to succeed. That's exactly what today's guest, Eri...
Jul 20, 2020•34 min•Ep. 92
Do you have that player (or players) who Is super hard on herself Doesn't handle failure well Feels really bad when she makes mistakes I'm pretty sure we all have! That's exactly what Paige Tonz helps players overcome in her programs for female athletes :)
Jul 13, 2020•45 min•Ep. 91
In this episode, two of our former bootcampers share what they got out of our 5-day bootcamp and how they're now using their Dream Team Blueprint. Want to create your own blueprint for your dream team culture in this coaches clinic meets coaching mastermind? Head to our site to join our next bootcamp!
Jul 02, 2020•24 min•Ep. 90
Wish your girls would understand how IMPORTANT the mental game is? We've come up with a simple process to do so! If you're a regular listener to this podcast, you know how important the mental game is. Unfortunately, that doesn't guarantee that your players will get it right away too. Today, we're sharing our new process for getting your girls to see first-hand how impactful a strong mind can be. FYI This program - the Flip Your Script Challenge - is only available if you go through our first tw...
Jun 29, 2020•36 min•Ep. 89
Do you ever feel like the coaches who've made it to the highest level are in a league of their own? You're not really wrong. The best of the best have worked their butt off to get there and they've put a lot of hard lessons to good use to stay there. But they're not so different from the rest of us! Take Hutch & Bonnie Tholl of Michigan... Are they softball rockstars? Absolutely. Are they coaches who care first and foremost about developing strong young women... just like us? Yep! So listen ...
Jun 22, 2020•35 min•Ep. 88
Your culture won't work If you're not being true to yourself Most of us want to be authentic, but it's not always that easy, right? » Second-guessing if we're doing all we can for our girls » Constantly looking for ways to improve, sometimes forgetting the strengths we already have » Falling back on trying to be like the coaches we had or look up to It's all well-meaning, but it's not going to get us where we want to go. When all is said and done at the end of the season, the best thing you can ...
Jun 15, 2020•36 min•Ep. 87
Have you ever wondered how some teams just seem more bought in? That magical team that seems to play for each other and put the team first? Well today's guest shares some practical tips on HOW to cultivate that type of culture! From star pitcher and national runner-up at Michigan to full-time pitching coach, Sara Driesenga is about to bring you a great episode in developing ownership within your players!
Jun 08, 2020•28 min•Ep. 86
Mental training can feel like a big topic - there's so much to cover! From confidence to competitiveness, courage to composure... It can quickly become overwhelming trying to figure out what to cover first. If you've ever felt lost on where to start, today's guest shares some GREAT ideas that are simple, usable with any age, and wildly impactful!
May 25, 2020•27 min•Ep. 85
Team cohesion is one of the things every team needs, but it's not so easy to come by. Maybe you can take a page out of one of our former guests' books and bring in a ringer! Today's guest is the school counselor at Waskom High School. Sound familiar? It's where former guest Iyhia MacMichael works! This is a great example of making use of the resources you have access to and getting creative in order to help your players. You're going to love this episode! P.S. If you have anything to do with rec...
May 18, 2020•33 min•Ep. 84
In this episode we take a closer look at Coach Alameda and her Florida State team - one of the most successful and CONSISTENT programs in the nation. They have classroom time once a week, they focus on tracking "one more," they take advantage of opportunities the game presents. She even says, "[The mental game] is the next factor of being successful. If you live it and work on the skillsets mentally, it is the difference for you to have the edge. I 100% believe it's why we are where we are."...
May 04, 2020•24 min•Ep. 83
If there's one thing we know about kids these days... It's that they need to know you care about them! You've heard this before about this generation, right? They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care? Creating a team culture that feels like family isn't just about love and hugs though. It's about - Setting a high standard, - Holding them accountable, and then - Having their back if they need support That's just part of what we discuss on today's episode with Coach Megan...
Apr 28, 2020•32 min•Ep. 82
We make an impact regardless of the situation. Even during COVID! It was a ROUGH spring for coaches. We miss our girls, we're having to adjust to being off the field for the first time in forever , and all we want is to get back to what we love! » Watching our girls' hard work pay off on the field » Seeing the look on their face as they have that aha moment » Going home exhausted but happy after a long day at the field - because you know you made an impact. I know these feelings all too well, si...
Apr 20, 2020•40 min•Ep. 81
In this episode we share more details on the actionable Culture Bootcamp Almost every coach who has joined our group has said they want to build a united culture but haven't focused on it as much as they'd like. They've simply been busy with a million other things. That is the main focus of our Coach Bootcamp - to create an easy-to-follow culture blueprint that you can implement all year long!
Apr 05, 2020•31 min•Ep. 80
Today we share our process for building the team culture you've always wanted. In 7 simple but impactful steps, you can: » Revolutionize the way you develop the whole person in every practice » Have a purpose for each and every practice » Make an even bigger impact on your girls - even if we can't meet in person!
Mar 30, 2020•40 min•Ep. 79
(This episode was released when everything was first shut down from COVID, but it applies to any time we're kept from the field) This has been a grief process as we deal with the loss of so many things we're used to doing and enjoying. Hopefully you're starting to come out of that low feeling, to the other side of loss, realizing - We have a unique opportunity to spend more time on intangibles - This is just another test we can help our players through - It's our chance to continue to make an im...
Mar 23, 2020•25 min•Ep. 78
(This episode was originally released when softball & the country was shut down by COVID, but it applies to any time we can't be on the field where we'd prefer to be!) --- We have to prepare our girls for any challenge that comes our way. But now most of us our wondering... How could we have we prepared them for this? Much of what is happening now with battle against the spread of Coronavirus is unprecedented. Nobody saw this coming. And most of us weren't prepared for losing our seasons. Ev...
Mar 16, 2020•25 min•Ep. 77
This game should be fun, right? And what's more fun than performing our best and winning! Many coaches, players and teams struggle to balance having fun and being competitive. It sometimes seems like you can't have both, but today's episode shows that's not the case. You can have fun competing You can have fun stretching past your comfort zone You can have fun because you've put in the work it takes to succeed. All you have to do is teach your girls the mental skills it takes to keep the game fu...
Mar 09, 2020•28 min•Ep. 76
How can we help our players BE WHERE THEIR FEET ARE? Because we get so little time with them, we can't waste any! Admit it. You've complained about this before. "They're just not checked in." "I need them to focus now." "Those damn phones!" We ALL have! Because it's frustrating when we feel like we have so little time with them and it's being wasted. So what in the heck can we do about it, without having to constantly take away their phones and yell at them to pay attention? Today's guest has so...
Mar 02, 2020•28 min•Ep. 75
Today we discuss how to improve player commitment. From daily distractions like weather and bugs to the sucky stuff like losing... a lot. Because let's face it. We're all guilty of losing that motivation mid-season! No matter how strong we start, there are going to be challenges that make us want to pull back. The trick is how to catch yourself in the moment, readjust, and get back at it. That's what we discuss today with University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire's head coach, Leslie Huntington!...
Feb 24, 2020•31 min•Ep. 74
Get players to buy in. That's one of our biggest goals, right? But it's trickier than it seems, because you can't force anyone to buy in to anything. They have to want it themselves. So how to do you get a team of 11-25+ young women to all buy in to one team goal? That's what we discuss today with the Oregon Ducks head coach Melyssa Lombardi! From team building to building relationships, today's episode has a lot of great nuggets for you to take back to your team!
Feb 17, 2020•26 min•Ep. 73
Teaching lifelong learners is about showing them how to be fascinated instead of frustrated when things don't go their way. This is one of the key takeaways from this action-packed episode. Today's Hall of Fame guest is the University of St Thomas head coach John Tschida. If you have ever wished your players could make adjustments on their own and be their own best coach, you're going to want to take notes in this episode!
Feb 10, 2020•34 min•Ep. 72
Training a team player has taken a back seat to showcasing the individual in today's recruiting culture. Fortunately, the new recruiting age change and travel ball coaches like our Sweet-Spotters are working to shift that culture back to a team focus. Because when it comes down to it, coaches like us want to develop good people . And those people will be much more successful in their life, career and family if we're focused on training a team player above all else. Today we have TWO amazing gues...
Feb 03, 2020•31 min•Ep. 71
Wish your girls were more COMPETITIVE? Michele Smith knows how to develop that fierce mentality! Competitiveness is something we used to think you were born with. "I am competitive." "She's just not that competitive." "My team just doesn't have that kind of drive." What if there were ways you could start building that fire inside of your girls? That's what we chat about today!
Jan 27, 2020•40 min•Ep. 70
