Rob sits down with Brent Hobson, longtime Friends University women’s soccer coach. Brent became a head coach at 24 and has spent nearly a decade shaping a program built on clarity, honest feedback, and team-first culture. They dig into what it actually takes to coach Gen Z, how to lead players who aren’t getting the […]
Coaching this generation requires more than demanding effort and enforcing standards. Gen Z grew up under a completely different set of pressures and expectations than any group before them, and their habits, attention patterns, and values reflect that world. Leading them well starts with understanding the landscape they’ve inherited, not the one we remember. Every […]
Rob sits down with longtime softball coach Suzanne Unruh to unpack how coaching has changed over the past decade—and why today’s athletes require a different kind of leadership. Suze shares how she evolved from a win-driven, blunt young coach to a purpose-focused mentor, emphasizing emotional intelligence, individualized coaching, and building identity beyond the game. The […]
There’s a tension I keep running into, and I’d be lying if I said I had it figured out after over 20 years in college athletics. The athletic world is built around competition. Results matter. Wins matter. When we lose, I’m frustrated and sometimes embarrassed, because that competitive edge hasn’t softened over the years. I […]
Dean Jaderston joined me to talk leadership, faith, and playing the long game. We trace his path from Minnesota high schools to men’s college hoops to leading women at Friends—and how each transition reshaped his approach. Dean explains why women’s teams often respond best to “we/us” language and 1:1 feedback, why coachability beats raw talent, […]
We’re in Crossover Season—that time in college athletics when fall sports are wrapping up with conference and national tournaments, and winter sports are just getting underway. With the end of the season, it offers an opportunity to evaluate intentionally how it is going within individual programs….how we can improve and where things are going well. […]
Instead of a subscriber video this month, we are going to do something different. We have the first draft of our ICP Coaching Certification Course complete. It is not the final product but we want some people to test out the course for us and give feedback. So, we are giving paid subscribers free access […]
In this episode, Dustin Galyon shares a real-world coaching moment involving a senior student-athlete who skipped a team workout and responded with uncharacteristic defiance. Instead of reacting with discipline alone, Dustin leaned on years of relationship-building to have a direct, honest conversation—one that ultimately deepened trust and ended with mutual respect. The conversation explores how […]
In our book and on the podcast, we’ve talked a lot about toughness and how it connects to psychological safety. That connection sometimes causes people to push back.They hear “psychological safety” and think it” soft. Psychological safety doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. It means if you follow the rules, give full effort, […]
In Part 2, we dig deeper into how the U.S. Naval Academy develops ethical, resilient leaders—and how those same lessons apply to coaching. Jim breaks down the Academy’s leadership lab, the sophomore ethics course, and the “2 for 7” contract that defines a midshipman’s commitment. We also talk about his new book, Crucibles—what inspired it, […]
