The Coaching Project cover art

The Coaching Project

The Coaching Project

By: Nathan Pali
Listen for free

About this listen

The Coaching Project is a leadership and performance podcast studying how great coaches, leaders, and organizations are built—one system, one decision, and one season at a time.

Great leadership isn’t talent. It’s a project.

This podcast explores elite coaching, leadership development, and the long-term systems behind sustained success. Each episode examines legendary coaches, championship programs, and high-performing organizations from across football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and beyond, blending sports history, biography, and leadership analysis to uncover how leaders are developed—not discovered.

You’ll learn:

  • How great coaches built leadership systems
  • How culture was designed intentionally, not accidentally
  • How talent was developed over time
  • How accountability and standards shaped performance
  • How leaders adapted through rebuilding, transitions, and failure
  • How psychology influenced motivation and growth
  • How leadership is engineered through process

This isn’t a highlight show or a motivational podcast. It’s a story-driven exploration of coaching leadership, organizational culture, leadership development, and understanding how elite performance is built through deliberate systems and long-term thinking.

If you’re interested in leadership, sports leadership, coaching philosophy, team culture, organizational leadership, performance psychology, great coaches, and learning how leaders are actually developed — this podcast is for you.

The Coaching Project Because leadership isn’t born. It’s built.

© 2026 The Coaching Project All rights reserved.
Career Success Economics
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
    Show More Show Less
    11 mins
  • Why Nick Saban Wins After He Loses
    Jan 25 2026

    Losses as data. Wins as incomplete. Inside the adjustment mindset that turned setbacks into championships.

    Show More Show Less
    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
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.