When Life Meets Coaching Sports

Today’s newsletter is coming out a day early on Sunday, May 25, as I am excited to share that something I’ve spent more than 3 years of my life working on will be released into the world today! My second book (my first was When Life Meets Coaching), titled When Life Meets Coaching Sports, is now available on Amazon as well as being able to purchase from me. My intention was to get the book out a few years ago but a life detour called being an athletic director slowed the process down. Retirement has helped me get the book finished!

The purpose behind the book is to create better activity experiences for athletes, families, and coaches through better prepared coaches. I would venture to say coaches are the #1 determiner whether an activity season goes well or does not go well for all stakeholders.

It’s more than just a book. It’s a message. A mission. And a tool I wish I had in my hands when I first became a coach. The book shares many of my own personal experiences as well as the coaching lessons I have learned in my career as a coach, athletic director, and now as a mentor of new coaches.

We all know that coaching is about so much more than X’s and O’s. It’s about developing people. It’s a roller-coaster ride of emotions, sometimes overwhelming, but always worth it. The relationships you build with athletes, other coaches, and parents truly last a life time.

New coaches often step into the role full of passion, but with limited support. They’re handed a whistle and expected to lead with little or no support as they take on this vital and challenging role. My first year of mentoring coaches has shown that there is a huge need out there for supporting coaches and there are few resources out there to do that.

I wrote this book as a resource to change that.

It’s written for the brand-new coach standing in front of a team for the first time, wondering, “Am I ready for this?” It’s for the coach who’s already in the middle of a career—looking for clarity, confidence, and a reminder of why they started.
And it’s for any coach who believes they can continue to grow, no matter how many years of experience they have, and want to leave a lasting legacy. I feel the book has something for every coach.

Here are just a few of the key sections in the book:

• Defining the role of a coach and why you coach

• Developing a leadership style and coaching philosophy

• Practical lessons for building team culture

• Mastering the art of teaching and instruction

• Creating an environment for success through building relationships

• Stories that encourage, challenge, and inspire through a growth mindset

• Establishing a legacy and lasting impact

At the end of each chapter are a series of reflection questions designed to help coaches reflect on their practice and dig deeper into their work. Great coaches are constantly reflecting and trying to make their coaching better. We need more coaches who with a growth mindset who teach more than plays, and who know that sometimes, the biggest wins can’t be measured on a scoreboard. When Life Meets Coaching Sports is my way of equipping and encouraging the next generation of coaches to lead with this purpose.

If you know a coach—new or experienced—I’d be honored if you shared this with them. The book is available TODAY on Amazon and from me as well. My next step is to reach out to schools-AD’s and coaches-as well as any organization that has coaches and could use the support.

I would love if you would share this resource with the coaches in your life as well as the schools you work with as I would love to support their work not only through the book but through the mentoring I am doing, professional development sessions with coaches/schools, or keynote presentations. If you purchase the book and could write a review on Amazon, that would be greatly appreciated as well. Here is a link to the book on Amazon:

Thanks to all for your support and I am excited to see what is to come. Have an awesome rest of the Memorial Day weekend and a great week to come!

Coach K