This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we are sharing a replay of EPL and US National Team Player Jay DeMerit . Jay has one of the most unique stories to success the sport of soccer has ever seen. An MLS reject that backpacked to Europe and climbed the English soccer pyramid from the 12th tier to become the captain of Watford FC in the English Premier League. He also represented the US Mens National Team for five years, playing every minute of his teams games in the 2010 World Cup in South Af...
Dec 06, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 197
Listen on the web , iTunes, Spotify, Amazon , and Stitcher This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Dr. Mark Williams. Dr. Williams is an academic and one of the world's leading authorities on expertise and its acquisition in sport. We dive into many great topics from his book The Best: How Elite Athletes Are Made , including The difference between performance and learning, how to teach decision making for athletes, and early speacialization versus early engagement. Dr. Williams has ...
Nov 29, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 196
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Paul Goodman, 3x Stanley Cup Champ Strength Coach. Paul has worked with a wide range of professional athletes, is a well known speaker on functional movement and sport performance, and is currently working on his PhD in Performance Psychology. Paul and I have been friends for many years and our conversation dives deep into not just the body and the mind, but how those two things work together. This is a great episodes full of practical informa...
Nov 22, 2020•1 hr 20 min
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 M...
Nov 15, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 194
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 individu...
Nov 08, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 193
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...
Nov 01, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 192
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...
Oct 25, 2020•54 min•Ep. 191
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 a...
Oct 18, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 190
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 br...
Oct 15, 2020•57 min
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...
Oct 11, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 189
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 Momen...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 2 min
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 ...
Oct 04, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 188
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, ...
Oct 01, 2020•59 min
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Leadership Expert Tim Kight. Tim founded Focus 3 in the mid-80's in Southern California, a life-long student of elite performance with the passion and drive to help organizations achieve their goals. In his college days, Tim transferred from Ohio State to UCLA while running Track. It was at UCLA that he witnessed John Wooden win his 9th and 10th national championship. An experience that instilled a great curiosity in Tim as to what distinguish...
Sep 27, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 187
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome surfing champion Lakey Peterson. Lakey won the junior nationals at 14 and qualified for the World Surf League at 16. She is an incredible role model for young athletes and share many great wisdom nuggets during our time together. We dive into the inclusiveness of the surfing community, being an intentional female role model, and overcoming fear. Highlights from the Podcast: The book Lakey brings with to every competition How to keep the balanc...
Sep 20, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 186
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Olympic and World Cup Champion Christie Rampon and Dr. Kristine Keane. Christie and Dr. Keane wrote a book called Be All In: Raising Kids for Success in Sports and Life . During our conversation, we dive into defining trust as a coach, why many parents find it difficult to understand athlete burnout, and what parents can do to help their kids cope with circumstances on their team. Christie Rampone A mother of two girls, Pearce Rampone played i...
Sep 13, 2020•59 min•Ep. 185
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Steve Morris, author of What Size Balls Do I Need?: A Roadmap for Survival In The Dizzying World of Youth Sports. During our conversation, we dive into the myth of maximizing a young athletes potential, how we can create better experiences for our young athletes, and the one thing most division one athletes regret most about their youth sport experience. Coach Steve encourages parents to enjoy their kids' brief 10-year window in youth sports, ...
Sep 06, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 184
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Nick Levett, Head of Coaching for UK Coaching and an expert in talent development. Prior to his current position, he spend eight years at the Football Association as Talent Identification Manager. After years of trying to get him on the podcast, we finally connected with Nick to record this amazing discussion! We dive into how to support our athletes while at the same time being demanding, why coaches should try to learn new skills outside of ...
Aug 30, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 183
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast John and Jerry welcome Michael Murphy, author of Golf in the Kingdom . This is a little bit different of a conversation than we normally have on here, but well worth your time. Jerry and Michael go way back and Jerry credit Micheal as being a huge influence on Jerry's work. We dive into a great conversation about what it is like for coaches and athletes to see the big picture and what it is like to be an astronauts of inner space. Michael Murphy is Co-fo...
Aug 23, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 182
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Martin St Louis, a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. What if we were all really good at getting better? Take out your notepad and something to write with and get ready or some great insight on becoming a tremendous athlete from a hockey player who the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player. About Martin St Louis St. Louis played over 1,000 games and scored 1,000 points in an NHL career that began with the...
Aug 16, 2020•52 min
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Robert Weintraub, author of The Divine Miss Marble: A Life of Tennis, Fame, and Mystery . In The Divine Miss Marble, Robert traveled the country to uncover her fascinating story. And the more he learned about her, the more her mysteries and contradictions deepened. Alice was a powerful woman who knew her worth, demanding equal pay to men decades earlier than other female athletes; yet she was held in sway by a domineering, highly successful co...
Aug 09, 2020•46 min•Ep. 180
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome Bo Hanson, 4x Olympian and 3x Olympic Medalist. We talk about using failure in childhood as fuel to success in adulthood, setting goals and defining values with teammates, and why a lack of role clarity leads to a bad culture. Bo Hanson's career within the sport and the business sector spans over 20 years, delivering leadership, management and coach development. In addition to his own athletic career comprising of four Olympic appearances and ...
Aug 02, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 179
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast we welcome back Dr. Wade. Gilbert, an award-winning professor in the department of kinesiology at California State University at Fresno and the author of Coaching Better Every Season: A year-round system for athlete development and program success. We started with an insightful discussion on Zoom fatigue, etiquette and breakout rooms, talked about the idea of disruption and how it impacts team unity, how to manage the uncertainty of players during this t...
Jul 26, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 178
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome back Sport Psychology consultant Dr. Rob Bell. Dr. Bell is a Certified Mental Performance Coach of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. We dive into many important topics, including helping our kids overcome hardships, recognizing the big moments that define us, and his new book, Puke & Rally: It's Not About The Setback, It's About The Comeback . Dr. Bell has written six books on Mental Toughness and puts out a sport psychology p...
Jul 19, 2020•50 min•Ep. 177
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we replay an episode from 2018 with a 36-time NCAA Champion Sport Psychology Consultant and one of the greatest coaches of all time! This is a show you cannot miss! Dr. Jerry Lynch and Anson Dorrance join John this week to talk Dean Smith, John Wooden, Alonzo Stagg, and what it is like to build an unrivaled dynasty through love, connection, and strong character. Anson Dorrance enters his 44th year of service to the University of North Carolina soccer pr...
Jul 12, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 176
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome Chris Snyder and Nadine Dubina from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. We dive into how to put fun back into coaching, how to handle push-back from coaches about coach development, and early sport specialization. Be sure to check out the Quality Coaching Framework on the Team USA website . Chris Snyder is the director of coaching education for the United States Olympic Committee. In his current role, Snyder focuses on supporting the USO...
Jul 05, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 175
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome High Performance Expert, Allon Khakshouri. Allon Khakshouri is a recognized personality in the sports world, and has managed the careers of some of this generation's greatest tennis players, including current world number one Novak Djokovic. We dive into what separates the great players from everyone else, how important intrinsic motivation is for an athlete's career, and how to add stress to practice to prepare for competition success. You c...
Jun 28, 2020•59 min•Ep. 174
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome David and Keith Mayer , authors of the book Gold Dust: How to Become A More Effective Coach, Quickly: How to become a better communicator . We discuss intentionally evolving as a coach, writing a book with a family member, and why good coaches are great teachers. You can follow David and Keith on Twitter and be sure to check out their Podcast " Gold Dust " or their website golddustmentoring.com . As two ex-soccer players who represented profe...
Jun 21, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 173
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome Skye Eddy Bruce and Seth Taylor. We dive into the youth sports world and discuss the topic of being a great sports parent like how to get parents to listen to what their children want/need, the difference between encouraging and distracting sideline behavior by parents, and creating alignment between clubs so that real positive change can happen. Skye Eddy Bruce, a former Collegiate and Youth All-American, Professional Player, Collegiate and ...
Jun 14, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 172
This week on the Way of Champions Podcast, we welcome Austin Hatch, a two-time plane crash survivor and inspirational speaker. Hatch's story is nothing short of Miraculous. On Labor Day of 2003, Hatch and his family were flying home from their vacation home in northern Michigan. As they were preparing to land, the aircraft crashed and burst into flames. Hatch's dad threw him out of the plane, saving his life and went back into the flames to get his mother, sister and brother, but tragically, was...
Jun 07, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 171
