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What separates a program people remember forever from one they forget the moment they graduate? Dr. Hunter Taylor has spent his career chasing that question — first as a basketball coach, then as a …

What separates a pro…

What separates a program people remember forever from one they forget the moment they graduate? Dr. Hunter Taylor has spent his career chasing that question — first as a basketball coach, then as a researcher embedded inside a high school football program, and now as a professor running coaching fellowships across three states. In this conversation, Rob and Hunter dig into the idea of “thick institutions,” why Longevity is the most underrated cheat code in coaching, and what the job demands that no clinic has ever taught.Impactful Coaching Project is a reader-supported publication. To re…

We asked successful coaches in a survey to share a story that showed their culture in action. One of them stuck with me.It was the biggest game of their season. Their best player, the guy they depende…

We asked successful …

We asked successful coaches in a survey to share a story that showed their culture in action. One of them stuck with me.It was the biggest game of their season. Their best player, the guy they depended on, choked. Played horribly and selfishly. The team lost. No single player loses a game, but his approach was a big part of the loss.The coach had a strong relationship with him built over more than two years, and he took the moment to deliver some hard accountability through a direct, intense conversation. What the player said the next day is what the coach will never forget:“No one has ever…

Paid subscribers can scroll to the bottom to watch the full video conversation.This week on Beyond Coaching, I sit down with Dr. Chad Carlson — professor at Hope College, longtime coach, and co-foun…

Paid subscribers can…

Paid subscribers can scroll to the bottom to watch the full video conversation.This week on Beyond Coaching, I sit down with Dr. Chad Carlson — professor at Hope College, longtime coach, and co-founder of Sport Faith Life. Chad studies sport for a living, and he still lives inside the same tension every coach knows: the pull between competition, character, and keeping perspective when the stakes feel high.We get into why coaches carry so much cultural influence, why the hardest seasons usually produce the most Growth, and how easy it is to lose your emotional footing in the middle of a seaso…

The first draft of our new book is done. As a paid subscriber, you’re getting it before anyone else.We’re still working through titles. Right now it’s “Sustaining Success.” Below the paywall…

The first draft of o…

The first draft of our new book is done. As a paid subscriber, you’re getting it before anyone else.We’re still working through titles. Right now it’s “Sustaining Success.” Below the paywall you’ll find the full manuscript along with some early drafts of the book cover.A few things to know before you read:This hasn’t been through editing yet. You’ll find typos, awkward sentences, and formatting issues. Don’t get distracted by any of it. We’re sharing the raw draft because we want your reaction to the ideas, not the polish.What we’re asking for: honest feedback, stories fr…

Dr. Jesse Godding, the Athletic Director at Nelson University and a man I deeply admire, sent me an email after I published “What Replay Can’t Fix” a few months ago. His response was so well tho…

Dr. Jesse Godding, t…

Dr. Jesse Godding, the Athletic Director at Nelson University and a man I deeply admire, sent me an email after I published “What Replay Can’t Fix” a few months ago. His response was so well thought out and thought provoking that I asked if I could run it here. He agreed.Before you read it, one thing from me. I am by no means perfect in dealing with bad calls or officials. But I believe bad calls and having to deal with perceived unfairness is one of the lessons sport is supposed to teach. Jesse takes that further than I did, and I think he’s right.Character (Un)revealed? by Dr. Jesse …

In my first year as a head college baseball coach, I benched a player named Chase repeatedly. I thought I was holding the line. He thought I didn’t care to understand him. He transferred without eve…

In my first year as …

In my first year as a head college baseball coach, I benched a player named Chase repeatedly. I thought I was holding the line. He thought I didn’t care to understand him. He transferred without ever talking to me again, and I never spoke to him again either.I still believe in the standards I was trying to uphold. I also know now that intention without impact is just self-justification.That gap, between what coaches mean to do and what athletes actually experience, is what this publication is about.The Impactful Coaching Project is a weekly publication for coaches and athletic directors who …

In this Podcast Short, Dustin and Rob explore trust. When trust is high, a coach can misspeak, show emotion, or even put his foot in his mouth—and players give the benefit of the doubt. When trust i…

In this Podcast Shor…

In this Podcast Short, Dustin and Rob explore trust. When trust is high, a coach can misspeak, show emotion, or even put his foot in his mouth—and players give the benefit of the doubt. When trust is low, even neutral comments are filtered negatively. Every word becomes suspect. Every interaction becomes evidence.The difference isn’t charisma. It isn’t quoting John Wooden. It’s the daily work of building trust through consistent, transactional excellence.Key Themes1. High trust changes interpretation.Players don’t just hear what you say. They interpret it through the lens of trust.Lo…

My last two years of baseball coaching shaped my perspective and leadership forever…I just didn’t realize it until much later.My second to last year, we came within one game of the World Series. I…

My last two years of…

My last two years of baseball coaching shaped my perspective and leadership forever…I just didn’t realize it until much later.My second to last year, we came within one game of the World Series. I was pumped and wanted to get there and thought I needed to make some changes to get there. And that is exactly where the drift started. Not from losing focus, but from wanting to win so badly that I started recruiting differently than what got me there both in terms of character and style of play. I unintentionally changed the culture. By the time the results showed it, we had already lost our …

During a recent episode of Beyond Coaching, my co-host Dustin and I got into a conversation about motivation. I had been listening to Shane Parrish’s Knowledge Project podcast, where Parrish admitte…

During a recent epis…

During a recent episode of Beyond Coaching, my co-host Dustin and I got into a conversation about motivation. I had been listening to Shane Parrish’s Knowledge Project podcast, where Parrish admitted something about his own book hitting the New York Times bestseller list. His first thought wasn’t gratitude. It was: I proved that person wrong. Someone from twenty years ago who probably doesn’t remember his name.Parrish called it dirty motivation. Pure, altruistic drive is clean. Proving someone wrong is dirty. That distinction made sense to me. Our world, especially the athletic world, is…