Equality. Fairness. Respect. Coach Devan McConnell, High Performance Director for the NHL’s Utah Mammoth, joins the latest episode of the Truth In The Arena Podcast to discuss how those core tenets are essential for teamwork and developing a positive team culture. In addition to being vital in the world of sports, Coach McConnell also explains how inclusiveness and fairness are core principles he looks for at the community level and with national political leadership.

Through the conversation, McConnell shares the roots of his coaching philosophy and how his outlook has been impacted by professional stops across the USA, with college coaching roles at Stanford and the University of Massachusetts Lowell and then positions at the pro level with NHL teams in New Jersey and Arizona. All this while also starting a family and raising kids of his own.

Moving from Arizona to Utah, one of the ways he chose the neighborhood to move into was based on prevalence of Pride flags in the community, as he wanted to be in an area where inclusiveness was a fundamental part of the social fabric.

“As coaches, I think it’s important that we create environments that our athletes, our staff members, the people in our organizations can feel safe being who they are.”

Additionally, McConnell discusses his participation in the Strength Coaches for Harris group during the 2024 Election and his takeaways from stepping in to a more direct role in political advocacy. Finally, the coaches discuss the unique community culture in Utah and how patriotism is rooted in holding the country accountable to its ideals.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coaching Values

02:47 Core Coaching Principles and Their Impact

05:19 Political Advocacy in Coaching

07:50 Navigating Diverse Political Landscapes

10:20 Instilling Values in Young Athletes

13:00 Creating Inclusive Environments

15:23 Media Literacy and Healthy Information Consumption

18:01 Defining Patriotism in Today's Context

Overcoming adversity. Resilience. Taking a loss in stride and continuing to work towards a common goal. We understand how these qualities shape durable and successful teams, and in this episode Molly Binetti, the Director of Women’s Basketball Performance for the powerhouse University of South Carolina program, discusses how those same qualities have also been elemental in pushing forward against the political headwinds facing progressive policies and achievements.

The conversation begins with a discussion of how USC head coach Dawn Staley empowers her players and staff to take leadership positions and speak out for what they believe in. Coach Binetti discusses the “People Principles” of empathy and authenticity that Coach Staley promotes, as well as Staley’s “look-sound-feel” approach to recognizing the look, sound, and feel of success while also being prepared to address and fix anything that intuitively looks, sounds, or feels wrong.

Looking back on the 2024 Election, Binetti talks in depth about her involvement in the Strength Coaches For Harris group and shares the sense of community and fellowship she was able to find in that network of her coaching peers.

“As demoralizing as the (election result) was, it’s still nice to be able to know that there are people that are still gonna fight. And the fight’s not over.”

The coaches also discuss GOP attacks on women’s health and civil rights and how coaches can help their female players live their healthiest lives amid efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, and threats to LGBTQ rights. They also dive into the Protect Women’s Sports movement and debate the exploitation of the issue as outrage-bait by those who generally are not that interested in women’s sports, except for those involving the tiny percentage of competitive trans athletes.

That leads to a discussion on the prevalence of online propaganda as a tool to inflame and divide, and how Binetti tries to guide her athletes toward a healthy media diet as an element of their overall health. Finally, Binetti breaks down her definition of patriotism as based in the shared humanity that binds everyone together.

Chapter List

00:00 Core Values in Coaching

06:03 The Human Element in Leadership

08:46 Political Advocacy in Coaching

11:40 Women's Health and Political Issues

17:33 Protecting Women's Sports: A Complex Discussion

21:16 The Politics of Women's Sports

24:38 Navigating Media Influence on Athletes

30:49 Defining Patriotism in Modern Society

It started with a phone call—one man in a time of need. Summer, 2020. Following George Floyd’s murder and the aftermath of the global Black Lives Matter protests and ensuing backlash, Ohio High School Hall of Fame football coach Al Powell called his friend (and fellow Hall of Fame coach) Jim Place to express his despair at how the country was being torn apart. From that rare, authentic, and open conversation between a black coach and his white peer, the Miami Valley Football Coaches Association Social Justice 7v7 tournament was born.

On the heels of a recent feature article in the Washington Post, Coach Powell and Coach Place join Nate Huffstutter on this episode to discuss that pivotal moment in which the foundation of the tournament was formed. From there, they detail how the event has continued to flourish and grow each passing year despite facing headwinds in the political landscape and the current US government’s hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Beyond the action on the football field, the tournament includes a workshop phase where athletes from different schools with different demographics are placed into small groups with a mix of white players and minority players and provided discussion prompts relating to racial understanding and—ideally—developing connection points to build trust among students from different backgrounds with a shared experience in high school football.

Why does it work?

“The kids want this, they want to talk about it,” Place says. “And the number one message I hear is this: we want a better world than the one that’s been given to us.”

The question, of course, is how to make it happen. Powell (who is also an acclaimed author, speaker, and trauma recovery coach) and Place (who also consults with educators on developing servant leaders through social emotional learning curriculum) focus on that how and leverage their many decades of success on the gridiron as sources of inspiration. Football is a game of field position, sometimes gained in small increments, and the same can be true of progress towards social change.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coaches and Their Mission

01:10 The Impact of George Floyd's Murder

05:54 Creating the Social Justice 7v7 Tournament

08:18 Core Values in Coaching and Diversity

12:04 Breaking Down Barriers in Sports

18:39 Workshop Experiences and Discussions

23:56 The Power of Selfies and Connections

29:51 Identifying and Addressing Racial Issues

37:21 Advice for Coaches on Promoting Inclusion

44:34 Defining Patriotism and Unity

Having passed the 20-year mark in his coaching career, Kalamazoo Central High School track coach Tyler Germain shares his perspective on his evolution as a coach & teacher and the values and principles he seeks to instill in both his athletes and students in an ever-changing information environment.

In addition to highlighting teamwork, commitment, and overcoming adversity as core values, Coach Germain also focuses on the importance of equity and access in creating a program that serves as a “thriving community,” providing value for athletes at every competitive level within the sport.

Coach Germain expands on how track represents a true meritocracy in sports, where there is no subjective debate or judgment on quality: the fastest, highest, or furthest wins. But, within that, one person’s success does not exclude or preclude another’s—everyone has the ability to compete against their own benchmarks and standards and find their own markers for progress and success.

The discussion of meritocracy leads into examining the myth vs. reality of the American Dream and how attacks on expertise, science, ethics, and talent by the current GOP administration run counter to those meritocratic ideals. Digging further into the development of actual expertise, Coach Germain talks about the impact of AI in the classroom and negative impacts on critical thinking and the ability to wrestle with hard questions and come up with a unique answer.

CHAPTER LIST

00:00 Introduction to Coaching Philosophy

02:05 The Role of Mentorship in Coaching

04:51 Creating an Inclusive Team Environment

06:42 Political Perspectives on Leadership

10:34 Balancing Competition and Personal Growth

12:38 The Nature of Track and Field as a Meritocracy

16:56 Defining Success Beyond Winning

20:45 Expectations of Greatness in Athletes

24:42 The Myth of the American Dream

30:05 The Political Responsibility of Coaches

36:42 Challenges of Pay-to-Play in Youth Sports

40:10 Access to Sports: The Financial Barrier

42:52 Reviving Community Sports Programs

45:50 The Role of AI in Education and Coaching

52:03 Critical Thinking in the Age of AI

58:07 Navigating Media Consumption and Authority

63:54 Redefining Patriotism and Community Values

Serving on his city’s emergency response team. Flying to Poland and Ukraine on his own dime to prepare food and support humanitarian efforts for citizens displaced by the Russian invasion. Volunteering to provide health and fitness tools for underserved populations in his local community. Many coaches talk about servant leadership and human values; meanwhile, Coach Julio Salado demonstrates how to put those principles into local and global action.

In this episode of the Truth In The Arena podcast, Coach Julio shares the simple principles that guide him each day: practice self-care & be kind. Those foundations—nurturing your own body & mind and choosing to be compassionate—pave the way for everything he’s able to do as a fitness coach, business owner, and volunteer.

Through the course of the conversation, Coach Julio talks about the concept of “health equity” as a necessary means to compensate for systemic inequities and provide the basic building block of good health for populations that don’t have the same access to professional trainers, organic food, nutritional planning, or medical insight as more privileged groups. This also leads to a discussion of the importance of DEI, as diversity, equity, and inclusion are core American values needed across the fitness industry.

Beyond his work in his home city of Malden, MA, Coach Julio details his humanitarian trips to Eastern Europe where he has volunteered for the World Central Kitchen and Lviv Volunteer Kitchen, peeling potatoes, shoveling mud, and engaging in the type of humble, “Sweep the Sheds” actions that most coaches recognize as a fundamental part of a productive group/team.

Coach Julio’s own experiences at home and abroad have informed his perspective on the language and practice of dehumanization in the current targeting of immigrants in the USA. As he does elsewhere, Coach Julio shares his own practical experiences trying to counteract racism and offers practical suggestions for coaches, athletes, or anyone listening to make a difference by rejecting hate, misogyny, and fascism.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coach Julio Salado

01:40 Core Values and Principles in Coaching

05:50 Community Involvement and Health Equity

11:19 Understanding Systemic Inequities

15:11 Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

21:22 Addressing Racism in the Fitness Industry

24:03 The Power of Peaceful Dialogue

26:06 Understanding Fear and Racism

28:08 Rejecting Hate and Misogyny as Patriotism

32:39 The Importance of a Healthy Media Diet

39:19 Redefining Patriotism for Today’s Era

Credibility is crucial for coaches—so, how can coaches make sure they are walking it like they talk it? Longtime S&C Coach, speaker, and author Missy Mitchell-McBeth joins Episode #7 of the podcast to talk about ways to narrow down core values…and more importantly, promote values that you can model and execute.

Coach Mitchell-McBeth discusses how consistency and transparency are her foundational principles, which then support countless other important qualities: hard work, integrity, honesty, and more. With an extensive professional background to pull from, she explains how she learned from her mistakes as a young high school coach, how expertise and deep knowledge can be sources of credibility in place of surface factors, and how she emphasizes the concept of “embracing discomfort” as a key part of the growth and development process. For Mitchell-McBeth, that growth process has taken her from the D1 coaching ranks to now balancing a professional day job and her own entrepreneurial career, all while still training competitive club volleyball athletes.

Those values of consistency of transparency also come into play as Coach Mitchell-McBeth discusses some of the routine professional challenges facing entrepreneurial coaches: managing their content on social media platforms, setting professional boundaries for when to say yes and when to say no, and recognizing how to draw the line between answering questions for an inquisitive younger coach or peer and when that time/expertise needs to be invoiced as a paid professional consult.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coach Missy Mitchell-McBeth

01:42 Intrinsic Motivation in Coaching

04:11 Modeling Values as a Coach

10:28 Balancing Professional and Personal Life

15:55 Getting Comfortable with Discomfort

20:52 Setting Boundaries as a Coach

33:13 Effective Communication for Coaches

Erik Becker, Head Football Coach and Sports Nutrition teacher at his alma mater, Daniel Hand High School in Madison Connecticut, joins Episode 6 to reflect on 25 years in the coaching field and how he views his “why” as a mission to develop capable, positive, healthy, and well-rounded young men.

Coach Becker quotes John Dewey in believing that the role of schools are to equip and prepare students to participate in a democracy, and he sees athletics and sports as a crucial vehicle in that effort. Speaking from the heart, Becker discusses how his job involves teaching athletes to bravely face risk, to be willing to grow at the edge of their comfort zones, and to rise to the demands of being leaders on and off the field.

Becker also emphasizes the importance of embracing those same values in the social and political sphere. He shares his faith in the noble ideas America aspires to, believing in Ronald Reagan’s ideal of the shining city on the hill and the words on the Statue of Liberty, “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” And in striving for the ideals of a “more perfect union,” he expresses that we as a nation must never lose touch with our better angels.

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction to Coaching Philosophy

01:41 The Importance of having a 'Why' in Coaching

04:11 Education and Democracy: A Coach's Role

07:05 Risk and Bravery in Sports

12:10 Modeling Leadership and Accountability

15:48 Patriotism and Shared Values in Coaching

In team environments, we consistently teach our athletes they need to be willing to be THE ONE: whether it’s winning a 50-50 challenge, coming through with a clutch hit, or stepping up to take a charge, effective players bypass the “maybe someone else will do it” instinct.

In Episode 5 of the Truth In The Arena podcast, Coach Ken Vick discusses the need for coaches to be willing to step up and be the ones to offer leadership beyond the team setting and to enforce norms of acceptable behavior at the community-state-national levels. We bring up the widely-accepted coaching truism, “your team culture is set by the worst behavior you are willing to tolerate” and expand that to broader applications where our social and political cultures are set by the most toxic, corrupt, or divisive behaviors that WE are willing to tolerate.

In addition, we cover the need to have a foundation of “first principles” to guide important decision-making and the dangers of black/white absolutist thinking, whether in terms of online debates over exercises and methods or in arguments on hot-button culture war issues. Those first principles are also crucial for the notion of America as a meritocracy, as the country’s prominence as a “land of opportunity” is based on guiding principles of hard work, know-how, courage, expertise, honesty, and ability being the tools to open doors to those opportunities. Coach Vick also emphasizes the importance of curiosity, a willingness to learn from failure, and resilience—these qualities are crucial for growth and progress in any environment. Finally, Vick advocates for a non-partisan version of patriotism that is based on the respect for shared values that fellow citizens are willing to stand up and fight to protect.

CHAPTER LIST

00:00 Introduction to Coaching Philosophy

03:51 The Role of Sport in Personal Development

08:47 Leadership and Values in Sports and Society

12:47 Navigating Absolutism in Coaching and Life

16:50 The Importance of First Principles

20:55 Patriotism and Meritocracy in Coaching

24:55 Engaging in Political and Social Issues

“What if I don’t speak up? What’s going to happen?”