Best of April: Coaching, Culture, and the Craft of Learning

In this “Best of” episode, we revisit the most impactful conversations from April on the Beyond Coaching podcast. Whether you're mentoring young coaches, navigating the transfer portal era, managing stress, or trying to create practices that actually teach—this episode brings you the best lessons, stories, and strategies from four incredible guests.

If you're looking for one episode to share with your staff or keep in your coaching library—this is it.

🔍 Segment Breakdown & Timestamps

0:00 – 9:30 | Rob Miller – Lead Your Team, Manage Your Program

Rob shares what he's seeing across the country: the rise of young coaches, the loss of middle-career leaders, and why managing a program is just as important as leading a team.

“Lead your team. Manage your program. If you miss one, you’ll fail at both.”

9:30 – 13:30 | Rob & Dustin – Building a Sticky Program in the Transfer Portal Era

How do you build a program that athletes want to stay in? It starts with clarity, care, and culture. Dustin and Rob break down the mindset and messaging needed to retain great people in a high-turnover era.

“If your players can’t tell your story, you don’t have a culture.”

13:30 – 22:00 | Mitch Hull – Stress, Significance, and Identity in Coaching

Mitch offers a new lens on coaching stress, athlete identity, and the power of a growth mindset. Drawing from TED Talks, psychology research, and his work with Olympic teams, this segment helps coaches rethink pressure.

“It’s not stress that kills us. It’s believing stress is bad that does.”

22:00 – 37:00 | John Kessel – Why Drills Don’t Teach and Feedback Fails

John gives a masterclass on motor learning, explaining why kids don’t learn by watching, why training must mimic game reality, and how failing is essential to skill acquisition.

“You didn’t learn to ride a bike by doing drills. You learned by riding and falling.”

Key Takeaways

• Young coaches need more than energy—they need guidance in managing budgets, culture, and compliance.
• Retention starts with culture. If care, challenge, and consistency aren’t clear, the transfer portal will empty your roster.
• Stress isn't the enemy—your perception of it is. Shift to a growth mindset and help athletes do the same.
• Practice needs to look like play. Teach in reality, not theory. Avoid blocked drills and over-coaching.

Subscribe & Share

If this episode helped you lead or teach better—share it with someone else who coaches people, not just players.

Subscribe to Beyond Coaching on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube, and explore more tools at impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com.

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