Offseason Talks, Volume 2 – Developing Healthier Teams and Relationships

In Episode 140, Paul and Phil cover their favorite moments from the second half of Season 10, which included some great nuggets of wisdom from ultra-marathoners, coaching legends, and authors, as well as unforgettable stories that you definitely don’t want to miss. Phil and Paul also give some recommendations that you’ll want to check out.

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World website

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      The Christian Athlete: Glorifying God in Sports, Brian Smith

·      Think Global, Do Justice Podcast

·      Big Sam: My Autobiography, Sam Allardyce

·      Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow

·      “John Adams” Biopic

·      Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else, Jon Gordon

·      Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy, Jon Gordon

In Episode 139, Randy Waldrum, Head Coach of the Nigeria Super Falcons (WNT) and Pitt Women’s Soccer, former Head Coach of the Houston Dash, Baylor Soccer, Notre Dame, University of Tulsa, and the Trinidad & Tobago WNT, husband, and father, talks with Phil and Paul about lessons learned during his incredible coaching journey, including founding the Baylor Soccer program, getting the Nigeria WNT job without even applying, and winning National Championships at Notre Dame, his passion for helping young coaches and how he is doing it, learning from difficult times, what he would ask Sir Alex Ferguson at a dinner party, the importance of learning from people outside your discipline, why we need to evolve our coaching and leadership, his thoughts on the highs and lows of US Soccer right now, his defining moment, and much more. Specifically, Coach Waldrum discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, coaching, and how he developed his love for coaching the women’s side of the beautiful game (4:15)

·      How he landed the coaching gig with the Nigerian Women’s National Team without even applying for it (11:20)

·      His new Telegram group and how he wants to use it to help young coaches develop their coaching (14:27)

·      His personal why and life purpose and how he is living it out today (19:41)

·      Some of the highlights and difficult times from his incredible year with the Pitt Panthers and Nigerian Women’s National Team (23:24)

·      What he learned from losing 9 games in a row (37:59)

·      Lessons he learned from starting a new program, taking over a national powerhouse as a young coach, and working to revive a struggling program at different points of his career (40:06)

·      Lessons he has learned from his incredible coaching career that he wants to share with younger coaches (46:16)

·      What he would ask Sir Alex Ferguson at a dinner gathering and why those questions (52:37)

·      The importance of learning from people outside of our own discipline and evolving our coaching styles with the culture and the game (55:54)

·      His defining moment in his soccer career and what he learned from it (47:39)

·      His most influential coaches and how he is using the lessons learned from them in his life today (53:36)

·      His thoughts, good and bad, about the current state of US Soccer (1:05:30)

·      How he is using lessons learned from the beautiful game in his marriage and parenting (1:15:00)

·      His recommendations (1:17:51)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team, Mike Krzyzewski

·      Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t, Jim Collins

 

In Episode 138, Lincoln Phillips, Trinidad & Tobago Goalkeeper of the Century, USC Hall of Famer, Former Head Coach of Howard University, Author of Goalkeeping:The Last Line of Defense, The First Line of Attack, husband, father, and grandfather, talks with Phil and Paul about lessons learned during his journey from Trinidad & Tobago Goalkeeper to professional soccer in the US to Howard University Head Coach and beyond, a movie being made about his incredible life, the importance of hard work, adaptability, and empowering players to lead, how captains need to be on-field coaches, his views on controversial goalkeeper topics, great stories and defining moments in his life, an incredible story of friendship that transcended the game and society during a difficult time in the US, the need for more creativity in American soccer, and much more. Specifically, Coach Phillips discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, and coaching, and how a kid from Trinidad & Tobago who was “terrible at everything” ended up being a player-coach in early years of the NASL and a legendary coach at Howard University (4:40)

·      His personal why and life purpose and how he is living it out today (13:33)

·      His coaching background (16:39)

·      The story behind his book, Goalkeeping:The Last Line of Defense, The First Line of Attack, and some invaluable goalkeeping tips from a legend (22:33)

·      How we can teach keepers to be better at 1 v 1’s (28:11)

·      The importance of keepers being coached with the team, not off to the side (30:49)

·      Corner kicks – defenders on posts or no defenders on posts? (31:57)

·      Why American soccer coaches need to start questioning things and thinking for themselves (37:06)

·      Life and leadership lessons he learned playing the great position of goalkeeper (42:24)

·      His defining moment in his soccer career and what he learned from it (47:39)

·      His most influential coaches and how he is using the lessons learned from them in his life today (53:36)

·      His thoughts, good and bad, about the current state of US Soccer (1:00:12)

·      How he is using lessons learned from the beautiful game in his marriage and parenting (1:06:08)

·      His recommendations (1:09:26)

·      A sneak peek into the movie being made about Coach Phillips (definitely will want to listen to the end) (1:13:48)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Soccer Goalkeeping:The Last Line of Defense, The First Line of Attack, Lincoln Phillips

·      Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

 

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game’s Analytics Revolution, Ryan O’Hanlon

Article about the upcoming movie about Coach Phillips and the 1971 Howard University team, “Rising Above”

In Episode 137, Ali Malaekeh, Head Coach of the OC Seahorses, FCA College Representative, former college footballer, and Author of Veritas: 7 Truths that Lead to a Purposeful Life, talks with Phil and Paul about his unlikely journey from Iran to working with Fellowship of Christican Athletes and coaching a Christian WPSL soccer team, how his personal “why” led to his book Veritas: 7 Truths That Lead To A Purposeful Life, important life and leadership lessons from his book, his work with FCA and the Seahorses, his defining moment in soccer and how one coach deeply impacted his life, his thoughts on the current state of US Soccer, how he uses an important lesson from soccer in his marriage, and some books (in addition to his great book) that you’re definitely going to want to read. Specifically, Ali discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, ministry, and coaching, and how an Iranian Muslim ended up on staff with FCA and coaching a Christian soccer team (3:57)

·      His life purpose and how it led him to write Veritas (15:30)

·      How his book is helping people find their purpose and live a purposeful life (18:36)

·      The concept of open-handedness as we pursue our goals (26:36)

·      The Japanese concept of Kintsugi and how it relates to integrity and our relationships (32:29)

·      How we can avoid external landmines in our lives (38:07)

·      His ministry with the OC Seahorses (42:40)

·      His defining moment in his soccer career and what he learned from it (48:25)

·      His most influential coach and how he is using the lessons learned from his coach in his life today (50:55)

·      His thoughts, good and bad, about the current state of US Soccer (53:50)

·      How he is using an important lesson learned from playing soccer in his marriage (59:15)

·      His book recommendations (1:01:14)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Ali’s Website (where you can get a copy of Veritas: 7 Truths that Lead to a Purposeful Life)

·      Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      Training Camp: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else, Jon Gordon

·      The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team With Positive Energy, Jon Gordon

In Episode 136, Ruth Brennan Morrey, Mental Performance Coach with RBM Performance Coaching, Ironman and amateur World Champion Triathlete, former University of Wisconsin-Madison and semi-pro footballer, talks with Phil and Paul about her journey from college and semi-pro soccer to the Olympics to Ironman Triathlons, and what she has learned about life and leadership on her journey, the importance of unstructured free play, building confidence through “ESPs,” reaching our “true potential,” her work with RBM Performance Coaching, building an “Ideal Team Family,” and much more. Specifically, Ruth discusses:

·      Her personal story, including how she grew his passion for soccer, leadership, triathlons, and mental performance coaching (3:50)

·      The impact John Wooden has had on her life and work, and why it is important to apply some of the “Wooden Principles” in our coaching today (12:24)

·      Her trip to Guatemala with Warrior Way and how it impacted her life (15:25)

·      Her personal why/life purpose and how she is living it out (18:05)

·      The benefits of unstructured free play and all that our kids miss when they don’t have it in their lives on a regular basis (22:15)

·      RBM Performance Coaching, how it came to be, and what she is doing with it (32:08)

·      How we can coach our players to be more confident (34:26)

·      How she defines “True Potential” (40:15)

·      The concept of “Ideal Team Family” and why it is so important (47:39)

·      Life and leadership lessons she has learned during her time as a triathlete (58:52)

·      How she has used lessons learned from soccer in her marriage and parenting (1:02:10)

·      Her recommendations (1:04:27)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      RBM Performance Coaching website

·      Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes, Alfie Kohn

·      The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance, Dr. Nate Zinsser

·      Clear Coaching: Harness Clarity to Drive Development, Todd Beane

·      Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, James Clear

The Coach’s Guide to Teaching, Doug Lemov

In Episode 135, Paul and Phil cover their favorite moments from the second half of Season 10, including Paul’s favorite episode of all-time, their top 3 episodes from the incredible guests we’ve had on HSEL throughout 2023, their Top 3 books of the year (Phil had a few more), and Phil’s top 5 sports/leadership documentaries of 2023. It’s a great way to top off an incredible year of Soccer, Life, and Leadership!

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World website

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      United Soccer Coaches Convention Registration Page – Promo Code: LEADERSHIP24

·      Phil’s Top Sports/Leadership Documentaries of 2023

o   “In Search of Greatness”

o   “Break Point”

o   “Full Swing”

o   “Beckham”

o   “That Peter Crouch Film”

·      Paul’s Top 3 Books Read in 2023

o   Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Mind, Craig Groeschel

o   God Has A Name, John Mark Comer

o   Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein

·      Phil’s Top 10 Books Read in 2023

o   Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, David Epstein

o   Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love With the Process of Becoming Great, Joshua Medcalf

o   Win in the Dark: Some Think You Shine Under the Bright Lights, the Bright Lights Only Reveal Your Work in the Dark, Joshua Medcalf & Lucas Jadin

o   Pound the Stone:7 Lessons to Develop Grit on the Path to Mastery, Joshua Medcalf

o   Open: An Autobiography, Andre Agassi

o   Quiet Leadership: Winning Hearts, Minds and Matches, Carlo Ancelotti

o   Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence, Crawford Loritts

o   The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams, Sam Walker

o   Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel James Brown

o   The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World, Andy Crouch

In Episode 134, Marci Jobson, Co-Founder of Warrior Way and Warrior Way Gives, Former Baylor coach, former USWNT and professional footballer, wife of our very own, Paul Jobson, and mother of 4 boys, talks with Phil and Paul about how her passion and purpose are driving her in her ministry using soccer, growing up with 7 siblings, her path through club, HS, and college soccer to the USWNT and pro ranks to college coaching to parenting and ministry, partnering together with Paul on and off the field in different roles,  uncommon bucket list item, which included a desert in the Middle East, that she was able to check off recently, keys to cross-cultural relationships, incorporating faith into playing and coaching, transactional vs. transformational coaching, how she coached both young girls and a pro men’s team in Guatemala, and much more. Specifically, Marci discusses:

·      Her personal story, including how she grew his passion for soccer, leadership, ministry, and coaching, and her windy road to ministry with Warrior Way and Warrior Way Gives (5:29)

·      What she learned about herself and leadership working as a head coach, assistant coach, and unofficial consultant with Paul at Baylor (10:01)

·      What Paul is really like behind the scenes (19:15)

·      Her personal why/life purpose and how she is living it out in her life (21:54)

·      The work Warrior Way and Warrior Way Gives are doing in Waco and other parts of the world, including a few really cool stories about empowering girls and Marci coaching a men’s team in Guatemala (25:01)

·      How to navigate cross-cultural relationships and partner together to help everyone flourish (36:12)

·      Her outreach with the US military in the Middle East and how she crossed off one of her bucket list items (43:43)

·      A defining moment in her soccer career and how it impacted her life and leadership (52:28)

·      Why the relational piece of coaching is so critical (57:33)

·      The best leader she played with and what set her apart from the rest (1:02:02)

·      The best coach she “played for” and what she learned from him (1:05:56)

·      How she has used lessons learned from soccer in her marriage and parenting (1:09:20)

·      Her recommendations (1:11:12)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

In Episode 133, Kevin O’Brien, Head Coach of Lipscomb University and former College of Charleston and professional footballer, talks with Phil and Paul about what he learned from playing in college/professionally and coaching at multiple universities as assistant and head coach, how he is living out his personal mission, what it was like to coach the legend, Paul Jobson, why an appetite for learning and note taking are critical for a young coach, why the human element is just as important as licenses, strategy, recruiting, and tactics, a huge mistake he made and how it taught him the importance of authenticity, reverse mentorship, playing in freedom, the importance of being mom or dad (not coach) at home, why all great leaders have an big appetite to learn and develop, and much more. Specifically, Kevin discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, and coaching, and how he ended up coaching at Lipscomb University (3:23)

·      His personal why/life purpose and how he is living it out in his coaching and ministry (6:36)

·      The ultimate goal guiding him in his coaching (8:47)

·      What is was like to coach the legend, Paul Jobson, as a young assistant coach at Presbyterian College (11:55)

·      Advice for younger coaches from lessons he learned as a young coach working up the ranks (13:27)

·      How his time playing professionally with the Charlotte Eagles impacted him and taught him lessons about life and leadership (20:11)

·      How he partners with his wife in ministry and coaching, and why she has a unique vantage point that helps him in his coaching of women’s soccer (23:39)

·      A defining moment in his soccer career and how it impacted his life and leadership (28:54)

·      How he uses the lessons learned in his defining moment to shape his coaching philosophy (34:31)

·      The best coaches he “played for” and what he learned from them (38:08)

·      His thoughts on the current state of youth soccer in the US (49:05)

·      How he has used lessons learned from soccer in his marriage and parenting (55:17)

·      His recommendations (1:03:26)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      Lipscomb University Women’s Soccer

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      All or Nothing: Arsenal

·      All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur

·      All or Nothing: Manchester City

·      Welcome to Wrexham

·      What Drives Winning

·      High Performance Podcast

In Episode 132, Shaun Smithson, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Executive VP of Club Sports, talks with Phil and Paul about how you can make disciples in different areas of your life, what he learned about life after calling for a time out in soccer, something you should never say to a referee, how he got into soccer ministry despite not playing the sport until the age of 21, what you can learn from his definition of “coach,” why you might not want yourself or your children to have all of the desires of your hearts, why failure is a critical component of success, a life lesson Shaun learned through Jell-O Night, why you need to speak hard truths to your players, the emptiness of championships and titles, the importance of being where your boots are, and much more. Specifically, Shaun discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, coaching, and ministry, and how he ended up in his current position with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (5:56)

·      How he learned there are no time outs in soccer and what he gleaned from that experience (9:10)

·      His personal why/life purpose and how he is living it out in his coaching and ministry (14:38)

·      How he defines a “coach,” and what we can learn from it (18:28)

·      His experience and growth in Bible studies (20:09)

·      How he is making disciples through his different areas of ministry with United Soccer Coaches, DC United, coaching, and other FCA opportunities (22:38)

·      A rabbit trail story about an important lesson Shaun learned while reading Psalm 20 to his wife in the hospital (26:24)

·      Why we have to be OK with failure (28:15)

·      A cool story about a lesson he learned from Bernhard Langer and shared with a team at the USYS Nationals about eternal perspective (31:33)

·      Defining moments in his life and how they impacted his life and leadership (37:56)

·      The importance of speaking truth to our players about their blind spots and things they need to work on to get better (42:53)

·      The best coach he “played for” and what he learned from him – includes a conversation about “Jell-O Night” (likely not what you’re thinking) (46:01)

·      How he has used lessons learned from soccer in his marriage and parenting (51:22)

·      How he prioritizes his family in the midst of his ministry opportunities (54:55)

·      His recommendations (59:03)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      FCA Website

·      United Soccer Coaches Convention Registration

·      Shaun Smithson Email (for USC Faith-Based Committee information)

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      Open: An Autobiography, Andre Agassi

·      The Coaching Zone: Next Level Leadership in Sports, John Yeager

·      Influence and the Creator’s Game: My Story and Stories of Family, Faith, and Lacrosse, Frank Kelly III

In Episode 131, Daniel Russell, UA92 Apprenticeships & Bootcamps Engagement Manager, UK Director and Lead Scout for Daryse, Talent Scout for Liverpool FC, and former Professional Footballer, talks with Phil and Paul about how breaking both of his legs taught his tremendous life lessons and spurred him on to greater things in life,  the incredible power of networking and just being polite, as it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, some inside information about what scouts are actually looking for in players, his defining moment in football and what it taught him, why it’s critical to be selfish at times, how we ought not overpromise and underdeliver, and much more. Specifically, Daniel discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, and scouting, and how he got to be working with the Class of ’92 and a Liverpool FC Scout (not a likely scenario) (5:47)

·      A funny story about how one of our previous guests tried to get Dan to play for his club (17:30)

·      The power of networking (20:27)

·      What scouts are actually looking for (26:08)

·      The Daryse scouting app and why parents, coaches, and players ought take a look at it (37:39)

·      Defining moments in his life and how they impacted his life and leadership (44:03)

·      His work with UA92 (52:21)

·      How he has used lessons learned from soccer in his parenting and other relationships (58:57)

·      His recommendations (1:05:25)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Daryse App

·      UA92 Website

·      Uncut Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      “When Eagles Dare: Crystal Palace F.C.” (Amazon Prime)

·      “All or Nothing: Arsenal” (Amazon Prime)

·      “All or Nothing: Tottenham” (Amazon Prime)