The Coaching Life Podcast

In this episode of The Coaching Life Podcast, Chris and Pat dive into a conversation about loving the sport you play. We chat about the deeper connection athletes can have with their game, their team, and the entire experience of being part of something bigger than themselves.We discuss:✅ Why passion for the game matters sometimes as much as talent for the game✅ The impact of loving your team—through wins, losses, and everything in between✅ How youth coaches and parents can help young athletes develop a lifelong love for their sport✅ The powerful impact youth coaches at younger levels can have on the success of a high school program

The anticipation is mounting as Opening Day for High School baseball is just days away. The first game Pat and Chris's teams will play this season will be against each other! This is the topic of today's episode, because we can't think of much else right now! LOL

In this episode of The Coaching Life Podcast, Chris and Pat dive into the unique challenges and strategies that come with being a head baseball coach during the crucial first week of the new season. They discuss how to set the tone for the year, establish team expectations, and build momentum both on and off the field.Key topics covered include:⚾ Evaluating Your Roster — Balancing early-season player assessments with giving athletes time to settle in.⚾ Practice Planning — Structuring practices to sharpen fundamentals while integrating game-specific situations.⚾ Team Chemistry — Building relationships among players and fostering a positive, focused culture from day one.⚾ Handling the Unexpected — How to adapt when the weather, injuries, or other surprises throw a curveball into your plans.⚾ Communicating with Parents and Players — Setting clear expectations for roles, playing time, and team goals.Chris and Pat also share personal stories from their own coaching experiences — the lessons they've learned, the mistakes they've made, and the small wins that build the foundation for a successful season.Tune in, take notes, and get ready to lead your team with purpose!

Our friend, Justin Roush, joins us for a great conversation about developing expectations for yourself. Justin is starting an LLC and podcast of his own, titled "Walk-On Academy."We chat with him about his plans and vision, as he shares from his own experiences of walking onto the Ohio University football team 25 years ago.

The title sums up the conversation in #188. We talk a little bit about trending issues in the NFL, but that's not the important part. In this episode of The Coaching Life Podcast, Chris and Pat gear up for the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association (OHSBCA) Clinic happening this week in Columbus, Ohio! We dive into the details of this must-attend event for high school baseball coaches, sharing why it's more than just another conference—it's an opportunity to grow, connect, and be inspired. Whether you've been coaching for decades or are just getting started, the clinic is packed with sessions that can elevate your knowledge, sharpen your skills, and deepen your impact on the athletes you lead. We explore the vital importance of being lifelong learners in the coaching world, challenging ourselves and our listeners to stay curious, adapt to new ideas, and constantly improve—both for our athletes and for ourselves. Episode Highlights: What to expect at the OHSBCA Clinic: speakers, topics, and more. Why professional development is critical, no matter where you are in your coaching journey. The value of networking with other coaches to share experiences and build your support system. Personal stories about how conferences and clinics have shaped our own coaching careers. Encouragement to get out of your comfort zone and prioritize your growth as a leader. If you're a high school coach in Ohio or any other state, let this episode be your nudge to commit to getting better and investing in yourself. The game is always evolving—are you? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review The Coaching Life Podcast so you never miss an episode. Let's keep learning and growing together! Join the conversation: What's one thing you're hoping to learn or improve as a coach this year? Let us know by tagging us or commenting on our latest post!

In this episode of The Coaching Life, Chris and Pat talk about the Ohio State Buckeyes' National Championship and uncover a critical aspect of sports that often goes unnoticed: the disconnect between fans' perceptions of the player-coach relationship and the reality behind the scenes. From social media memes, viral locker room moments, to sideline interactions, they discuss why fans may romanticize or misinterpret these relationships and how the media and "FANaticism" shapes our understanding of why a coach is or isn't successful. Whether you're a Buckeyes fan or just someone fascinated by the nuance of sports, this episode offers a perspective on the complexities of coaching and the importance of building authentic connections with players. Conversation: Share your thoughts and stories with us on the Spotify comments section or on X @TheCoachingLife. Don't Forget to Subscribe: If you enjoy our discussions, don't miss an episode! Subscribe to The Coaching Life wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a review to help others discover the show.

Welcome to Season 11 of The Coaching Life Podcast! Chris and Pat kick off the new year with energy, excitement, and a renewed commitment to exploring the fun and sometimes crazy world of youth and high school sports. Join us as we set the tone for an all new season filled with impactful conversations, fresh perspectives, and actionable advice to help you navigate the challenges and joys of coaching and parenting in sports.

We walk through the historic season for Ohio University football, and Parker Navarro's role in helping the Bobcats win the first Mid American Conference Championship since 1968.

We had the honor to chat with Coach Billy Roper from Adairsville, Georgia about the benefits of training the overall athlete for all the various sports they may play. Billy has much experience and wisdom, having worked for 29 years as a baseball coach and 28 years as a football coach.

A handful of years ago Chris wrote a book titled "Building Champions," and the last chapter discussed a common issue in our culture, which is pervasive in youth sports culture. Groupthink is a very real problem, and we need to do our best to recognize when we are participating in it.

We've had a lot of fun chatting with Brooks McKeller and so we invited him to join our conversation again today on a variety of topics, from golf to baseball to football chapel services. You'll have to listen all the way to the end to understand the title of this episode!

Today we take some time to devote an entire episode to Pat's beloved Cleveland Browns. But, the conversation isn't a glorious one. We talk about some of the drama surrounding the fan base and players in context of Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury.

"My all-time favorite baseball player was Pete Rose. It's not because he was the greatest player in the game, although he holds some of the game's greatest records that will likely never be broken. It's not because he was the most upstanding citizen; he had a hard, stubborn, ego and everyone knew it. What I loved about Pete Rose was the way he played the game of baseball when he was between the baselines. He was the essence of "blue collar" baseball. What I loved about Pete Rose was the fact that he made every little boy believe that they, too, could one day play professional baseball. You might be able to say a lot of things about Pete Rose, but it could never be said that he did not play to win. Whether it was Game 7 of the World Series, an All-Star Game, or a church picnic game, he played to win." – Chris Stewart

We might have found a third host for The Coaching Life Podcast. Brooks McKeller is a senior on the Ohio University Golf team, and he is our guest in this episode. This conversation is SO good. We encourage you to take the time to listen to it in it's entirety.

When you are on a team, or coaching a team, that is used to losing, how do you change that? We all know of those teams that just seem to have a culture of winning, and we also know the ones that just seem to have a culture of losing. What makes them so different? Of course, there are many factors, and we didn't have time to go over them all. Do a search and you will find hundreds of books written on this topic. Still, we think you might find this conversation compelling, and hopefully useful.

We are seeing a generation of young people who are leading in many different ways. That's today's conversation.

We began today's conversation and were reminded that it was September 11. So we decided to just talk about it for an episode. This is different from a lot of our conversations on the Coaching Life Podcast, but we believe it is important. Never forget.

The single greatest factor in any problem, conflict, misunderstanding, or mistake is communication – lack of, not enough, poor – communication is always at the center. Today we bring into our conversation the issue of communication as it relates to coaches and coaching. What you say... How you say it... Why you say it... When you say it... COMMUNICATION is the number one skill we need to constantly be developing.

This conversation kind of went in several directions, but all with similar themes. How does your body language affect your teammates?

What is the perfect sport? What criteria would you consider to determine what makes the perfect sport? Pat and Chris share their (admittedly not unbiased) opinions on what makes the perfect sport, giving credence to several different sports in this episode.

Our conversation topic today was provided by a listener: What do we think about the Savannah Bananas?

We open Season 10 with a conversation about being cocky... or is it confidence? Is swagger the same thing? As always, we hope to spark some interesting and useful thought to help us all get better in how we relate to our players and coach our teams. We hope you will subscribe, follow, share, and participate with us for a new season of The Coaching Life!

We go back and revisit our original mission for starting the podcast and compare it to where we are today and some of the new things we are currently involved with. We are excited to help create (or revive) a new opportunity for young people in our community to play summer ball. In this episode, we talk about how it is coming to fruition.

We are discussing a topic that was requested by a listener of the podcast, which is one of our favorite ways to get content. Let us know what you want us to have a conversation about in a future episode!

It's time to get caught up and back into the flow of podcasting. Consider this episode a warmup for Season 10.

We just want to let you know that we are still here and still podcasting! We have a lot to talk about from this past spring and a lot to look forward to in the next season of The Coaching Life Podcast.

We are over a week into the High School baseball season and we reflect on our experiences and lessons learned so far this season.

Our old friend Lukas Moore joins us from his new homefront in Wrigleyville, Chicago. This is a very rich conversation about coaching, motivating people, and the value of being part of a team working together to accomplish a goal.

Today we revisit a question that comes up a lot. It's a topic that is always relevant because of the tension that is always felt by players, parents, and coaches. Should you play multiple sports or should you specialize? Should we always answer it the same way for every athlete? Is age a factor in the answer? Pat and Chris definitely have strong opinions on the matter, but they also will provide data and real examples for why they hold the opinions they do, both as coaches and as fathers.

Today's episode discusses the difference between PRINCIPLES and METHODS, and challenges coaches to consider ways in which they might need to change when it comes to their coaching. Do you have "20 years experience," or do you have "1 year's experience of the same thing 20 times in a row?"

Nothing can stop The Coaching Life Podcast from being recorded! Pat is in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico on a Carnival cruise. Still, there are lessons learned from the experience to bring home and apply to our athletic programs.

Today the podcasters become the interviewees! Cami Seymore, a freshman Journalism student at Ohio University, interviews us for her column in The Post newspaper's Culture and Human Interest section. One of the biggest takeaways from the episode is our WHY – why do we continue recording The Coaching Life Podcast.

This week is one of our favorite times of the year. For high school baseball coaches in Ohio, it's the annual Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association clinic.  We take some time to reflect on the value of coaches learning from one another and developing relationships with one another, and talk about some of the upcoming OHSBCA clinic session topics. 

The Coaching Life Podcast has gone through several changes and updates over our 9 seasons of recording, but the core of what we are about remains. We desire to be a useful resource for coaches, parents, and athletes. To have conversations about the values, challenges, and lessons we are provided by the world of youth, high school, college, and professional sports. Season 9 begins in the newly renovated podcast studio in Schoonover Center at Scripps College of Communication on the campus of Ohio University. Whether you watch and listen or just listen, we hope you are blessed by another season of TCL. Thanks for being part of our conversation! Chris and Pat

It was surprising to see the behavior and response of the NFL's most elite and successful quarterbacks this past weekend. But, that event provides a big lesson for all of us.

This conversation topic was suggested to us by one of our young listeners of The Coaching Life Podcast. Thanks, Gavin for helping us with the conversation about sports and life.

Great coaches have some common qualities and attributes. Today we break out a Top 10 list of those things.

As we approach the season of gratitude and Thanksgiving, we take a moment to honor a man who selflessly gave more than 20 years of his life to make sure families, children, and even adults had a place to fulfill their dreams of playing baseball. Upon hearing of a local Recreational League Director's passing, Dave Boyd of Middleport, Ohio, The Coaching Life Podcast has decided to honor Dave in our Thanksgiving episode. He is someone who embodied the very heart and soul of what this podcast is about. God bless you, Dave.

As a coach, which focus do you have? A development-first focus, or a winning-first focus? How can the two approaches work together? Or is it always "development VS. winning?" This conversation is a bit lengthy, but it is a pretty hot topic that you will undoubtedly agree with some and disagree with some. We'd love to hear your thoughts!

We chat with Morgan Rodgers, freshman on the Ohio University Bobcats Women's Golf Team. This fall, Morgan has made an immediate impact preparing for her first regular season of golf this spring. Her success begins with understanding the mental game, and incorporating strategies to stay focused on what is most important – what is within her control. This is a useful conversation and Morgan gives some really great golf tips to help improve Chris and Pat's golf game to score below 100!

Some experts say that pressure doesn't really exist. Rather, it is something that our minds create. If so, then why does it feel so real? And what does it mean when someone says they "perform best under pressure?"

We have another listener topic request. This conversation came from a coach who asked us about the extra time we spend maintaining our facility and playing field. Enjoy!

150 EPISODES!!!! Thanks for being part of our ongoing conversation! Whether you have listened since 2019 and all 150 episodes or you just found us, we APPRECIATE YOU. Thank you to everyone who sends comments, encouragement, and ideas for our show. In honor of our listening audience for 150 episodes, this one is a recent conversation brought to us directly by a listener. It's an issue that is all too common in all amateur sports, regardless of age level. As always, we hope to be useful and to help in some small way to make your athletic experience a little more meaningful.

Today we have a conversation with OHIO University grad student quarterback Parker Navarro. Parker talks about the lessons he has learned through facing the adversity of a series of injuries, transferring, and finding himself in a backup role on a championship team. He provides invaluable advice and insight into how he has found strength and joy despite these setbacks and frustrations.

It's happening in every state; schools are having difficulty scheduling games for Varsity sports because it seems there are not enough officials to go around. What happened to them? How can we get them back?

Bad performances are a regular part of sports. If you play, coach, or have children who play, there will be bad days on the field and court. How we respond to these bad moments, bad games, and even sometimes bad seasons, can make or break future success. It's crucial that we understand the mindset strategies that we can adopt to be the best we can at responding to bad days.

We would like to present a challenge to all young people – AVOID ADOLESCENSE. Of course, we'll explain what we mean.

The relationship of mutual respect and trust between coach and player is directly related to performance and success. Our relationship with our players is driven by our communication. The culture of our program is built on our communication and the behaviors that follow. As coaches, we need to be mindful of this, take ownership of this reality, and strategize how we will improve.

Here's a topic we have never before discussed on The Coaching Life Podcast, but it's an extremely relevant conversation for just about every youth sports team. On most teams, there will be at least one family, and perhaps many, who struggle whenever there conflict between the ball schedule and their church attendance. As always, Chris and Pat take on the conversation head-on, discussing many of the variables associated with this and the people it impacts. We hope to provide insight and understanding to help us all navigate this issue with grace.

We continue our conversation for sports parents on some "do's and don'ts" that we recommend to help you and your kids have the best experience possible.

Chris and Pat discuss the recent news of the closing of Alderson Broaddus University. What can we learn from this event?