FCA Coach to Coach Podcast: Recent Episodes
Nate Sallee - NKY Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Lots of coaches struggle to win AND positively change lives along the way. As FCA, our groups and events train coaches on how to win games and leave a positive mark on their players in the process.This show includes interviews with some of the top coaches in NKY and beyond. We also drop an occasional episode that is a teaching to help equip you to win with your team and in the home.
Sign up for the Coach and Spouse Getaway: nkyfca.org/getaway
"Taking your marriage from stagnant and complacent to active and creative" - Brad Rhoads
Coaching can be tough, and so can marriage...the two together can put even the best relationships to the test. This is why Brad Rhoads with Grace Marriage jumps on the podcast.
Website: https://www.gracemarriage.com/
He shares his journey from a college tennis player to a lawyer, to a switch to full-time marriage ministry.
He and his wife presented back-to-back years at our KY FCA Coach and Spouse Getaway and crushed it!
Walk away with some great insights and tips on how to have a marriage that is full of life and fun
Support the showWebsite: https://www.nkyfca.org/podcast
Instagram: @nkyfca
Twitter: @nkyfca @natesallee24
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NKYFCA
Coach Bill Curry gives us what Jeremy Sheetinger calls "audio gold" on this episode!
Some of the topics include:
- Stories from playing for Vince Lombardi and with guys like Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas.
- Coaching stops at Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia State.
- "6 Characteristics of a Champion"
- "Power of the Huddle"
- Reflections on navigating coaching and personal life
Follow Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/coachbillcurry Bill's Website: http://billcurry.net/ -----
NKY FCA Website: https://nkyfca.org/
Support the show
Rusty Parks currently serves on staff with FCA in Central KY. On top of that, he collaborates with other staff to host a state-wide FCA wrestling camp.
Pulling from decades of experience and relationships that span across the country they've developed a world-class camp experience.
In this episode, you'll hear Rusty's story, some of the lessons learned during his coaching career, and a couple of classic stories from his days driving the bus for his team.
Website: https://www.fcawrestlingky.org/
NKY FCA website: www.nkyfca.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nkyfca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NKYFCA
Support the show
This is a unique episode where we hear from Mo Isom-Aiken as she shares with a group of local High School athletes here in NKY.
Mo has an incredible athletic pedigree:
- LSU All-American Goalkeeper
- Sportscenter Top 10 Play for scoring a 90-yard goal
- SEC All-Freshman Team
- Trained as a placekicker for the football team
- LSU's all-time school record in women's soccer with 35 victories and 25 shutouts.
Her family and faith are top priorities in life and it has led her to become an author of 3 books as well as fulfilling speaking engagements around the country.
More info on her books and other resources can be found on: https://www.moisom.com/
The goal of this episode is to give a fly-on-the-wall perspective of Mo's story but also an increased awareness of a day in the life of an athlete living in 2021.
We hope it's encouraging, inspirational, and eye-opening...and that it ultimately helps you grow as a coach!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Cory Carlson joins us on the podcast and shares some important insights on how to win at home and with your team!
Topics include:
- Date Night tips
- The Five Capitals in life and how to prioritize each
- Identity
- The powerful impact of coaching
Cory's Story:
As an entrepreneur, former executive, husband, and father of three, Cory Carlson understands the pressures working parents face. He is passionate about helping business leaders win both at work and home.
Twenty years in corporate America gave Cory some amazing opportunities as he worked his way up to the executive level. But he also saw brokenness: work without purpose, strained marriages, and absentee parents. Business leaders especially were often not living life to the fullest.
When Cory discovered leadership coaching, it helped him become a better leader, husband, and father. So he left his corporate career to help other leaders achieve a healthier work-life balance. Currently, Cory lives in Cincinnati with his awesome wife and three amazing children.
Cory's Website: https://www.corymcarlson.com
LinkedIn: Click Here
Buy "Win at Home First" book on Amazon: Click Here
Please subscribe on whichever app you use!
NKY FCA Website: www.nkyfca.org
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Topics covered:
- Identity
- Coaching Boone county and Shaun Alexander
- The importance of relationships
- Hard work...and rest
- Concept of the sabbath
- Experiences trying to win games and also thrive in all areas
Rick Thompson enters his sixth season on the Lions’ coaching staff and his fifth as the Defensive Coordinator at Mount St. Joseph.
Before joining the Mount, Coach Thompson was the Head Coach at Boone County High School.
He has had a long and distinguished high school coaching career that includes stops at Beechwood High School and Campbell County High School.
Though he had other stops earlier in his career, Rick called Boone County HS home for over 25 years. He served as the Defensive Coordinator for 11 seasons before being named Head Coach in December of 1997. In his lone season away from Boone County in 1988, Thompson served as a Defensive Graduate Assistant for Dave Currey at the University of Cincinnati working with the Defensive Line.
As the head coach at Boone County for 15 years, Coach Thompson was the head coach twice for the NKY All-Star game, was on the Best of the Bluegrass All-Star Game coaching staff (2012).
He helped direct his high school team to two state semifinal appearances, five regional finals, and five district championships.
Thompson is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and earned his master’s degree from Xavier University. He is happily married to his wife Mary Kay and has two children, Chloe and Bryson. They reside in Florence, Kentucky.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Sign up for the FCA Coaches Challenge Here: https://fcacoacheschallenge.org/
Join hundreds of coaches as they study through the New Testament of the Bible together in 2021. A weekly reading plan, optional daily text reminders, and the power of knowing you're not alone in the journey! Sign up today!
Meredith Heater
Playing career:
Greenville University Volleyball Player
Coaching:
Multiple Junior College Stops
Fontbonne University
Cincinnati Christian University
Synergy Volleyball Club
Topics:
Player to Coach Communication
Affirmations
Journaling
Expectation Management
Other Resources mentioned:
Grief Recovery Handbook: https://amzn.to/3mtByp8
3 Dimensional Coaching: https://www.fcacoachesacademy.com/
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Eric Sztanyo, an FCA advisory board member and local business leader joins us on this episode of the Coach to Coach podcast.
He lives in Ft. Thomas with his home team which includes his lovely wife Witni and their 5 children.
At Boone County High School, Eric played both golf and baseball during his time and has some really encouraging points and insights as he shares about his time there. He also dives into some helpful tips after years of trial and error as he navigates marriage, family, work, and rest.
Topics:
- The role of the fear of failure
-
The value of the coach's role during the teenage years
-
Getting creative on finding rest so that you can be more productive
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How self-discipline with your time and money and translate into big wins for your team and family down the road
-
Keeping perspective and priorities in a healthy place.
You can check out Eric on social media and his website:
Tik Tok: @manyo_the_realtor
Website: https://www.teamsztanyo.com/
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Kevin Cristello, Assistant Athletic Director for Football at Virginia Tech University joins on the podcast.
Kevin shares how coaches can streamline their admin/operations work so that they can have more time for the best parts of the job...the players, and the game.
We've never heard a coach say they stopped coaching because they stopped loving the game or the kids...it's usually something outside of that. One of the struggles we've heard about is the amount of admin, paperwork, and secondary work that has to be done to run a program. Hopefully, this helps!
Topics:
- Ways coaches he had impacted him
- Handling job transitions
- How to set yourself up for success when it comes to admin
- Getting the right kind of help
- Improving year after year
- Hilarious recruiting story :)
Playing career:
- 2 sport athlete at Simon Kenton High School
- 4-year Defensive Lineman at Morehead State University
Coaching stops:
- Morehead State
- East Carter HS
- Kentucky Christian University
- Eastern Kentucky University
- Nebraska University
- Coastal Carolina
- Virginia Tech
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes!
For nearly thirty years, Todd Gongwer has been building his expertise in leadership
and team dynamics by serving in a variety of senior-level roles in business and
athletics. From an entrepreneurial start-up to public company to college athletics,
As a best-selling author, speaker, and teacher on leadership and cultural
development, Todd has spent the last decade working with some of the most
successful coaches, teams, business leaders, and educators in America.
His principles have been embraced by countless leaders, including coaches and
athletes from championship programs in the NCAA, NBA, MLB, and NFL. Stories of
the profound impact of Todd’s message have been featured on ESPN the
Magazine, ESPN.com, Bleacher Report, and Forbes.com.
Todd continues to work with many of the most successful coaches in sports and is a popular speaker at major universities (Darden School of Business), high-profile
sports teams (Clemson Football), national associations (American Baseball
Coaches Association), and high-profile businesses (Home Depot) throughout the
country.
Special discount for our Coach to Coach community!
Click Here for discount rates on his Kardia Training Group Virtual Coaching Platform
Character AMP tool for Coaches/Parents/Players: www.characteramp.com
Discount Code: "Todd150" for $150 off!
He lives in Indiana with his wife and three children, Kaden, Kira, and
Wadson.
"If you lose sight of the proper perspective, everything else seems to fall through the cracks."
"I had a lot of coaching and business friends who were pursuing great things at the expense of the most important things."
“A key is not only becoming more self-aware because that’s becoming more of a hot topic right now but learning to act on that self-awareness.”
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Clint Hurdle joins us on the show with some veteran insight!
Playing Career:
- Declined College offers from the U. of Miami and Harvard to play professional baseball.
- Drafted by the Kansas City Royals with stops with the Reds, Mets, and Cardinals organizations.
Coaching:
- Hitting Coach then Manager of the Colorado Rockies
- Hitting coach for the Texas Rangers
- Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Currently a "Lifetime contract with the home team"
Topics discussed:
- Personal faith journey
- His coaching philosophy and how it progressed
- Amazing stories including 3 World Series runs
- 3 things every player wants to know
- What he would tell a new coach starting out
Subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Coach Steve Funke joins us this time on the Coach to Coach podcast.
Topics Include:
Vision for the program
Being a lifelong learner
Core Values
Alignment as a coaching staff
Coaches who impacted him
Belief in your players
Work Ethic
Playing Career:
Simon Kenton High School: Football and Track Athlete
Georgetown College: NAIA National Champion Freshman Year
Coaching:
Twenhofel Football Coach as well as 2 years as Athletic Director
Simon Kenton HS assistant Track Coach (Throwers)
Please subscribe so you don't miss future episodes and share with 1 person who you think would appreciate this episode!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
NKY Sports Hall of Famer Keaton Belcher joins us on this episode of the Coach to Coach podcast.
Playing:Multi-sport standout athlete at Pendleton County HS
Belmont University Men's Basketball
Coaching:
Currently Ryle HS Boy's Basketball Coach
Previously Pendleton County HS Head Coach
Topics discussed:
- Playing in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen and multiple NCAA tournaments
- Habits and a mindset that helped him maximize his potential
- The coaches that developed him and why
- Family influence on his success
- Current coaching philosophy
- Coaching Dontaie Allen (Current UK Men's Basketball)
- Advice for young coaches just starting out
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Coach Keith Madison joins on the show for this episode!
Hear Keith's journey from a small town in western KY to making to Triple-A with the Expos/Reds, Coaching for 25 years in the SEC, then what he's up to now in "retirement"
Fast Facts:
- Played professionally in the Expos and Reds organizations
- KY HS Baseball Hall of Fame
- 783 Wins as Head Baseball Coach, University of KY
- University of KY Hall of Fame
- American Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Email Coach to be added to his text devotional list: keith@scorebaseball.org
Join the American Baseball Coaches Association: www.abca.org
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fca-coach-to-coach-podcast/id1491816546?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nate-sallee-fca/coach-to-coach
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
In this episode, Larry Travis, Former Pastor of and long time golf coach and lover of the game talks about the challenges of Golf and how to overcome the mental hurdles involved.
Check out the episode to hear more about how unlocking a greater understanding of yourself can increase an athlete's potential.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Dave Eckstein is a life-long NKY coach and has always done phenomenal work investing in students all over the area.
In this episode he walks us through his experience and observations about the changes in the sports landscape and the one thing that has remained consistent (spoiler alert: it's in the title).
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Stephanie Wolf is the cheerleading coach at Ludlow High School in Northern Kentucky. With a long-term vision for coaching her team she has great experience in delegating leadership and empowering the members of her team.
Topics/Highlights: Learning from Transformational Leadership
- Relational + Transactional = Relactional
- Minimizing drama on your team
- Importance of self-care and rest.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Alex discusses the importance of knowing your athletes, maximizing their output and the correlation between the two.
Alex Harbin is the owner of Iron Sharpens Iron gym in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has a passion for bringing people together in order to unlock the greatest potential within individuals.
As an Elder High School and Mt. St. Joe football alumni, Alex has a desire to help teams and athletes represent themselves and their teams in the best ways possible.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Nate Sallee switches it up a little bit and provides a short teaching on the relationship between God and sport. Nate is the area director for the the NKY Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
While his personal coaching career just started with his son's youth b-ball team this past winter, he's always been deeply connected to coaching through his father growing up. Now he supports his wife as the head volleyball coach at Highlands High School as well as serving and building into coaches through his full-time role with FCA.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Nick Jackson is currently a nationally respected motivational speaker who lives on the West Side of Cincinnati. After a collegiate football career at Mt. St. Joseph, Nick has had coaching stops at Norwood and Highlands High School.
His motivational speaking career was kickstarted as he partnered with Cris Collingsworth through an organization called "U-give" which not only coordinated assemblies at schools but also activated tons of service projects.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Justin jumps on the podcast with us and shares his story as a hockey and lacrosse athlete as well as how he coached Henry Clay to a state championship in Lacrosse.
- Create a culture of honesty and strong work ethic
- Pre-season prep and 1-1 meetings
- Book "Hard Hat": Jon Gordon resources: www.JonGordon.com
- Invest in the individual and team level
- Be clear and be simple in your coaching
- 3 Controllables: Attitude, effort, and actions
- Importance of data and tracking progress.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Dale Mueller hops on the podcast for the first of TWO episodes.
Yes, so much to unpack with Coach Mueller that we blocked out multiple episodes.
Dale was a collegiate baseball player at Cornell University and is most recognized in NKY and beyond as a very successful head football coach.
After multiple coaching stops his longest tenure was a Highlands High School where he amassed several state championships.
Topics include:
- How his "why" behind coaching drove him
- Why he didn't cut players
- One surprising reason he picked football as his sport to coach
- His strategy for youth camps
and much more!
Please share with at least one person you think would appreciate it!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Our 2nd episode with Coach Dale Mueller, former Highlands High School state championship coach.
We turn the corner a little bit and discuss how his coaching career and personal life collided and lessons learned along the way.
Topics include:
- Hobbies
- The importance of focus
- Assistant coaches and delegation
and much more!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Chris Cornett joins the show with some solid insights on coaching your whole roster.
His coaching stops include:
Cooper HS Track
Camp Ernst Basketball
Ludlow Football
Ludlow Track
Topics mentioned:
Power of encouragement
Getting buy-in even from role players
His top leadership lessons over the years
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Sam Rutowski join us on the Coach to coach podcast.
Currently, she coaches at Ross High School and plays semi-professionally with the Cincinnati Sirens.
Before that, she was the Graduate Assistant Coach at Lee University who made a national championship finals.
Sam was also a standout player for the NKU Women's Soccer program where she played all 4 years which included a Horizon League championship as well as the nod as a captain as a senior.
Topics include:
- Transitioning from being a player to coaching
- Value of knowing players individually through tools like the Enneagram
- Self-discipline
- Creating an environment of players supporting one another
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Brian Tome is the senior pastor of Crossroads, the fastest growing church in America
He shares an overview of his book, "Five Marks of a Man" with a clear coaching and athletic lens to speak directly to you, our "Coach to Coach" audience.
Topics include:
- How coaching can shape the lives of your players
- One of the main differences between a coach he played for and other successful ones he's observed
And of course, he unpacks the 5 Marks...that men:
Have a vision
Work Hard
Are Team Players
Take a Minority Position
Protect others
Who doesn't want a player who lives those out? Who doesn't want more future community leaders living those out?
Click Here to Buy
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Chris Wright joins us on the show from Ludlow HS.
Chris has coached several sports including cross country, basketball, and track.
Topics include;
- How he's overcome personal and family struggles
- Coaching all different types of seasons
- How his faith impacts his perspective and approach
And some amazing stories as well!
Tissues recommended for this episode because Chris openly shares some incredibly hard yet beautiful times in his life.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Greg Miller, current Head Basketball coach at Trinity International University joins us on the show.
Topics and Resources Mentioned:
- His journey as an athlete at Grace College to now Head Coach
- Transformational Leadership
- 3 Dimensional Coaching
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Coach Joel Steczynski joins us for this episode.
Joel coached baseball and volleyball at different points in his life but his main sport currently is girl's basketball.
He led the Colonels on a run all the way up to the 9th region championship.
Resources mentioned:
Inside Out Coaching by Joe Ehrmann
Lead...For God's Sake by Todd Gongwer
3 Dimensional Coaching.
"You have to care more about the player than you do about the trophy."
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Jeff Duke, author of 3 Dimensional Coaching joins us on the show.
Several NKY coaches have already gone through this training and are implementing the 3D framework into their programs.
Topics include:
- Jeff's story of how we went from an athlete to coach of multiple sports, to current day where he's traveling the world delivering this material
- Effective ways of motivating player
- Handling emotions
- Building a strong culture of teamwork
Jeff did his Doctoral dissertation on the influence of the coach in American society. He's a down to earth guy who relates as a previous player and coach plus he's spent years unpacking what it takes to create a high performing team while also changing lives along the way.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Nate Sallee shares a tool he's discovered called the "Focus Funnel" which gives coaches and leaders the ability to multiply their time and not just manage it.
It's based on a Ted talk and material from Rory Vaden. Watch his Ted Talk here:
https://youtu.be/y2X7c9TUQJ8
Coaches have countless tasks to manage both personally and professionally and this tool empowers you with a system on how to process it all.
There are 4 main steps when something comes across your desk.
- Eliminate
- Automate
- Delegate
- Procrastinate...on purpose
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Our interview with Walton Verona Baseball Coach Clint Coleman.
Clint brings to the show experience college baseball play at the University of the Cumberlands as well as time invested as an assistant and now the head coach of Walton Verona High School baseball.
Clint has also served for many years as the faculty sponsor for the Walton Verona High School Fellowship of Christian Athletes club.
He does a great job of building into 8-12 student leaders weekly and empowers them to lead their monthly FCA huddle meetings.
Topics from this interview include:
- Perspective from several different coaches who he played for
- How he handles umpires
- His approach to motivating players
- How his faith informs his words and actions
If you enjoyed this episode please share with 1 person who you think would appreciate it!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Pat West joins us on the show.
Pat was a multi-sport athlete in college and has worn several coaching hats since.
He has coached at Cooper High School, Dayton High School, Cincinnati Christian University, and a brief stint with the Kings Hammer Soccer Club.
Topics include:
- Key coaches that built into him growing up
- Making it as a college athlete without a ton of resources.
- The impact of a coach that ripples across a whole community.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Ford Taylor joins the podcast this time with tons of really practical and helpful tips.
Topics include:
- Key leadership principles
- Maximizing player potential
- Having parents become partners instead of enemies
- Laying pre-season groundwork that will benefit you the whole season
- How vulnerability helped his teams play better
One coach said he listened to this multiple times and took notes!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Ben Stroup joins us on the show this time.
He graduated from Scott High School where he played football.
Multiple coaching stops including Bracken County.
Topics include:
A hilarious story of how he made the Hudl highlight reel on the sidelines
Creative ways to contribute as a coach while also rocking out the husband/father role
How to motivate the 21st-century athlete.
and much more!
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Host Nate Sallee walks you through the best take away points from his first several guests on the FCA Coach to Coach podcast.
Creating a high performing culture
Perspective in Coaching
How faith and coaching can work together
and many more.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Casey Fisk is a long-time friend of NKY FCA.
He brings to the podcast years and years of coaching experience in Football and Track.
Topics include:
- His story of how he lost over 100 pounds and now has completed multiple Full Marathons
- Best lessons from Coaches he's had throughout the years.
- How his personal growth has led to growth in his family and teams.
Enjoyed it? Please SHARE with at least 1 coach in your life.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
Our interview with Marty Mayer.
Marty is on FCA staff as an area representative where he regularly is mentoring coaches and meeting with local high school football teams.
He and his wife Bobbie have touched thousands of lives over the course of their time as servants of NKY.
Athletic Experience:
- HS State Champion Runner
- A successful running career at Baylor University
- Former teacher and coach and Bellevue High School
- Northern Kentucky University (NKU) Assistant Track Coach
CLICK HERE to BUY Marty's Book: "The Coach's Devotional"
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
We interview Chris Crawford on how he's been able to create a high performing select softball program.
Topics include:
- Leader modeling as a coach
- Prayer as a team and with opponents
- Cultivating 100% effort
- Navigating softball and family schedules
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
We chat with Coach Luke Patterson on this episode.
Luke has coached multiple sports including soccer at Cooper High School and basketball at Camp Ernst.
Topics include:
- Marriage communication as a coach
- Viewing your players with the God-given potential within them
- A hilarious story involving him running suicide drills with his players
- Transformational Leadership: training and top takeaways
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
We interview Coach Ben Brown on this episode of the Coach to Coach podcast.
Ben currently coaches football at Boone County High School where he's been for over 15 years.
He's a Boone County High School graduate who then went on to play football at Morehead State University.
His wife Christina is also an assistant volleyball coach at Cooper High School.
Topics include:
- Coaching stories from legendary Boone County coach Owen Hauck and Morehead State coach Matt Ballard
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)
We welcome Katelyn Sallee to the "Coach to Coach" podcast to talk life, faith, coaching, and volleyball.
Topics include:
- Building team cohesion
- Setting a high performing culture
- Lessons learned while attempting to thrive at home during the season
- Conflict resolution
As an athlete Katelyn has been inducted into the following Hall of Fames:
- Morehead State University Athletics HOF
- NKY Athletic Directors HOF
- NKY Sports HOF
- Simon Kenton High School HOF
Coaching experience:
- Morehead State University Volleyball (Graduate Assistant)
- Walton Verona HS JV Coach 2011
- Highlands HS Volleyball 2014-Present.
Support the show (http://www.nkyfca.org/donate)