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How I Coached This

How I Coached This

By: Nathan Pali
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About this listen

How I Coached This is a leadership and sports podcast about how great coaches, teams, and leaders actually built winning programs—one decision, one system, and one season at a time.

Every championship has a backstory. Every dynasty has turning points. Every great leader has moments they’d coach differently.

This podcast takes you inside the thinking, strategy, and leadership behind elite coaching. Each episode studies legendary coaches, iconic teams, and defining moments from across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and beyond, blending sports history, biography, and leadership analysis to answer one simple question:

How did they coach this?

You’ll learn:

  • How coaches designed systems and game plans
  • How leaders adjusted when pressure changed everything
  • How culture was built through daily decisions
  • How motivation and psychology shaped performance
  • How mistakes became breakthroughs
  • How leaders developed talent and future coaches
  • How leadership really works behind the scenes

This isn’t a highlight show or a motivational podcast. It’s a story-driven guide to coaching leadership, decision-making, team culture, and understanding how the best leaders in history thought through problems, adapted strategies, and built sustained success.

If you’re interested in leadership, sports leadership, coaching philosophy, team building, organizational leadership, performance psychology, great coaches, and learning how elite leadership decisions are made in real time — this podcast is for you.

How I Coached This Because every great result starts with a decision.

© 2026 How I Coached This All rights reserved.
Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Dan Gable: The Pursuit of Absolute Dominance
    Feb 15 2026
    In this episode, we explore the coaching philosophy of legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable, examining how personal tragedy and a single competitive loss shaped his relentless pursuit of perfection. We also discuss how Gable's unyielding standards and focus on extreme preparation transformed the Iowa wrestling program into a national powerhouse.Chapters00:00 Gable’s Unyielding Standard01:57 Personal Loss and Redirection03:33 The Defining Loss of 197005:32 Coaching at Iowa: Escalation08:52 Overwhelming Opponents13:59 Trusting the System & Legacy
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    11 mins
  • Discipline Beats Motivation: The Nick Saban System
    Jan 25 2026

    Why Saban never relied on speeches, hype, or emotion — and how structure replaced inspiration in building elite performance.

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    16 mins
  • Newt Rockne's Football Legacy
    Feb 14 2026
    In this episode, we explore the strategic decisions and organizational brilliance of legendary football coach Newt Rockne. We discuss how he built a powerful program at Notre Dame through innovation, adaptability, and a focus on systematic excellence rather than individual talent.Chapters00:00 Rockne's Early Innovation00:22 The 1913 Army Game03:38 Building a Cohesive Program08:35 Adapting and Sustaining Excellence15:17 Confronting Complacency and Safety18:20 Rockne's Enduring Legacy
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    12 mins
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