Way of Champions Podcast

Jamie Mulligan is a world-renowned golf instructor, innovator, and executive widely regarded as one of the most influential minds in modern golf coaching. Named the 2021 PGA Teacher & Coach of the Year, Jamie's unique approach to the game has helped shape some of the most dominant athletes on both the PGA and LPGA Tours. Jamie is consistently ranked among GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America and Golf Digest's 50 Best Teachers, and serves as the longtime coach to FedEx Cup Champion Patrick Cantlay—whom he has trained since Cantlay was seven years old—and LPGA superstar and World No. 1 Nelly Korda. His...

Mario M. Iveljic is a premier legal strategist, dual-licensed international football agent, author, and executive leader operating at the highest levels of global sports management. As the Director of Soccer & Legal Counsel for Mag Mile Sport, Mario serves as a trusted advisor to professional athletes, elite youth prospects, and sports families navigating the deeply complex world of competitive soccer. Mario's professional footprint spans across major international borders. He is uniquely qualified as both a Licensed FIFA Agent and a Registered Football Agent with the Football Association (FA) in England.

Mario's 360-degree view of the sports landscape is...

Peter Vermes is a legend in American soccer and both a player and a coach and a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame (Class of 2013). He holds the historic distinction of being the first person in Major League Soccer history to win an MLS Cup as both a player and a head coach with the same franchise. As a player, Vermes earned 67 caps for the U.S. Men's National Team, representing his country at the 1988 Olympics and the 1990 FIFA World Cup. After pioneering stints in Europe, he became an MLS foundation player, anchoring the defense for the...

Kevin Connors is the Managing Director at Susan Crown Exchange, where he oversees grant making, leads new initiatives, and co-develops organizational strategy. Kevin helped lead the Million Coaches Challenge, a national initiative launched by the Susan Crown Exchange in 2021 to transform youth sports by training one million coaches in evidence-based youth development practices. Backed by 18+ partners, including the Aspen Institute's Project Play and research led by the American Institutes for Research, the Million Coaches Challenge is transforming youth sports by equipping coaches with the information and tools to create positive, inclusive environments that help young people build confidence, belonging...

Jack Rolfe is an international coach developer, founder of The Coaching Lab and creator of MatchPlay Cards, used by coaches in more than 75 countries. With a background in Sports Coaching Science, Jack has worked across grassroots, academy and high-performance sport with organizations including Arsenal, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and coaches connected to the England Men's National Team. His work helps coaches create engaging, games-based environments where young people can make decisions, solve problems and develop a lifelong love of sport. In our podcast this week we discuss innovative ways to create more dynamic practices and put players first. Website...

Lindsay Crouse (@LindsayCrouse) is an author, producer, and journalist. For more than 15 years, she was an editor, writer and producer at The New York Times, where her Emmy-nominated work on women's sports brought widespread change to the industry, including maternity protections for pregnant athletes. In the Times's Opinion section, she wrote and commissioned widely read essays and produced hundreds of short documentaries, including the Times's first Academy Award-winning film.

A life-long competitive distance runner and graduate of Harvard, Lindsay is the author of the brand new book The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out...

What happens when the person responsible for everyone else's performance has no one to turn to? In this episode, we sit down with Cody Royle, a pioneering voice in elite sports who specializes in coaching the head coaches. Cody pulls back the curtain on the intense, often isolating pressure of leading at the highest level. We discuss his career transition from international AFL coach to trusted advisor, the unique burdens of modern leadership, and why even the best leaders need a "second set of eyes." Cody spent his formative years playing rugby league and Australian Rules football (AFL), gaining an...

Steve Kerr is a nine-time NBA champion , widely recognized as one of the most successful and influential figures in basketball history. Across a legendary career spanning more than three decades as an elite player, executive, and head coach, Kerr has consistently engineered a culture of winning. As a player, Kerr was a lethal sharpshooter who spent 15 seasons in the NBA and still holds the all-time league record for the highest career three-point percentage (45.4%). He captured five NBA championships on the court—three alongside Michael Jordan with the historic 1990s Chicago Bulls, and two under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Sp...

Alex Smith (@AlexSmith_11) is a former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, and a 16-year NFL veteran quarterback. Known as one of the game's elite operational minds, Smith threw for over 35,000 career passing yards and earned three Pro Bowl selections while leading the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Washington Football Team. He is also the recipient of the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. After suffering a catastrophic, life-threatening leg injury in 2018 that required 17 surgeries, Alex defied all medical odds to not only walk again, but return to professional football. Off the field, his masterclass in leadership...

Kate Livesay was a two sport star at Middlebury in field hockey and lacrosse, twice earning All American honors and leading her Middlebury lacrosse teams to two NCAA titles. She is one of the most decorated coaches in college lacrosse history, leading Middlebury Women's lacrosse to seven NCAA Championships (2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026) and Trinity Women's lacrosse to a single NCAA title. Her teams have set the program single-season wins record three times over, going a perfect 23-0 in 2023, 2024, and 2026 — a standard of excellence virtually unmatched in the modern era of the sport. Over her 18 year head coaching career had compiled a re...

Kate Livesay was a two sport star at Middlebury in field hockey and lacrosse, twice earning All American honors and leading her Middlebury lacrosse teams to two NCAA titles. She is one of the most decorated coaches in college lacrosse history, leading Middlebury Women's lacrosse to seven NCAA Championships (2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026) and Trinity Women's lacrosse to a single NCAA title. Her teams have set the program single-season wins record three times over, going a perfect 23-0 in 2023, 2024, and 2026 — a standard of excellence virtually unmatched in the modern era of the sport. Over her 18 year head coaching career had compiled a re...

Kate Livesay was a two sport star at Middlebury in field hockey and lacrosse, twice earning All American honors and leading her Middlebury lacrosse teams to two NCAA titles. She is one of the most decorated coaches in college lacrosse history, leading Middlebury Women's lacrosse to seven NCAA Championships (2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026) and Trinity Women's lacrosse to a single NCAA title. Her teams have set the program single-season wins record three times over, going a perfect 23-0 in 2023, 2024, and 2026 — a standard of excellence virtually unmatched in the modern era of the sport. Over her 18 year head coaching career had compiled a re...

Stuart Lancaster is a world renowned rugby coach and is currently the Head Coach at Connacht in Ireland. He has previously coached England (2011-2015) when they hosted the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Racing 92, and Leinster. His England teams finished as Six Nations Runner Up four times, and he won the European Rugby Champions Cup and four PRO14/URC titles with Leinster. Prior to his time with the England National team, he won three Churchill Cup titles as Head Coach of England Saxons (2008, 2010, 2011) and National Division One title with Leeds Tykes (2006 to 2007). Stuart also runs Stuart Lancaster leadership, where he shares...

As Chief Investment Officer at T. Rowe Price, Sébastien Page leads a global team managing hundreds of billions and has been recognized with multiple research awards for his practical approach to finance and leadership. His journey is inspiring, from arriving in North America as a young Canadian immigrant barely speaking English to becoming one of the youngest Senior Managing Directors at State Street, then rising through senior roles at PIMCO and now T. Rowe Price.

Sébastien's new book, The Psychology of Leadership, bridges real-world executive experience with the science of performance psychology. He spent over fo...

Rick Jordan (@MrRickJordan) is CEO & Founder of ReachOut Technology, and is a nationally recognized voice on Cybersecurity, Business, and Ethics. He is the host of the All In with Rick Jordan Podcast reaching fans in 29 countries, and a frequent expert guest on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. He is also a featured speaker at NASDAQ, Harvard, West-Point Military Academy, and the best-selling author of his book "Situational Ethics." Today on the podcast, John and Rick take a deep dive into performance under pressure, building resilient leaders and cultures, the qualities of the best leaders, and commitment in action. These...

This week on the podcast, we are joined by Britt Lee and Brad Williams of pureathlete.com. Pure Athlete is a leading content creator and influencer focused on the world of youth sports. Their mission is to help young athletes, parents, and coaches successfully navigate the increasingly complex culture of youth sports in a healthy way, while being a catalyst for improving the culture. We connect with some of sports' most iconic athletes and topical experts, enabling their insights, guidance and wisdom to better inform and inspire our audience to become the best versions of themselves on and off...

As we close in on episode 500, John and Jerry recently participated in a webinar for hundreds of athletic directors and coaches through our great friends at Championship Productions. It was supposed to be a one-hour webinar, but we had so many questions and such rich discussion that it lasted 90 minutes. We thought it would be great to share this with all of our podcast listeners. Hosted by Coach Thom McDonald, our discussion delves into the origins of this book and some deeper questions around each section of the book. We talk about our favorite chapters from the qualities of...

With over 20 years of coaching experience across the UK, USA, and Spain, Phil Phillipou (@mindsightsport) has developed a unique approach to youth football mindset training that combines practical coaching expertise with proven sports psychology principles. Phil's background includes working with grassroots academies, professional youth systems, and individual players at all levels. His methods focus on building confidence, developing mental resilience, and creating sustainable performance improvements. As a certified mindset coach and author, Phil has helped hundreds of young footballers and coaches unlock their potential through his evidence-based LTAD training programs and pressure training techniques. In our conversation today, we...

With over 20 years of coaching experience across the UK, USA, and Spain, Phil Phillipou (@mindsightsport) has developed a unique approach to youth football mindset training that combines practical coaching expertise with proven sports psychology principles. Phil's background includes working with grassroots academies, professional youth systems, and individual players at all levels. His methods focus on building confidence, developing mental resilience, and creating sustainable performance improvements. As a certified mindset coach and author, Phil has helped hundreds of young footballers and coaches unlock their potential through his evidence-based LTAD training programs and pressure training techniques. In our conversation today, we...

With over 20 years of coaching experience across the UK, USA, and Spain, Phil Phillipou (@mindsightsport) has developed a unique approach to youth football mindset training that combines practical coaching expertise with proven sports psychology principles. Phil's background includes working with grassroots academies, professional youth systems, and individual players at all levels. His methods focus on building confidence, developing mental resilience, and creating sustainable performance improvements. As a certified mindset coach and author, Phil has helped hundreds of young footballers and coaches unlock their potential through his evidence-based LTAD training programs and pressure training techniques. In our conversation today, we...

This week we are taking a deep dive into leadership on the podcast. We're currently in negotiations to record an audio book version of Captain: The Athlete's Guide to Being an Exceptional Team Leader. We thought it might be cool to listen to a few of the chapters from the book. In this week's podcast, we have one chapter from each section of the book. In the Qualities of Leadership section, we share a chapter on how to lead by example with an amazing story from NBA champion Shane Battier. On the Responsibilities of Leadership, we share a story from...

Paula McQuaid, co-founder and in-house research lead, fuels HONE's innovation with her passion for uncovering what truly shapes human wellness. For the past fifteen years, she's dedicated herself to understanding how people thrive, then translating that insight into tools that help athletes, coaches, and organizations perform at their best through HONE's platform. With a Master of Counselling and a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, Paula brings both academic depth and human connection to her work. Alongside her role with HONE, she has served as a Mental Performance Consultant for Hockey Canada's Women's U-18 National Team, quietly...

Christian Boucousis (@christianbooboucousis) was the youngest ever Royal Australian Air Force Pilot, earning the call sign "Boo" which has become his personal brand. His business Afterburner brings together a high-performing team of fighter pilots to teach businesses how they can leverage the power of the fighter pilot mindset. They've transformed performance at 3,500+ companies like Google, Pfizer, Microsoft, Apple, Nike, American Express, IBM, & Marriott, just to name a few. They've worked with 17 NFL teams, helping two win Super Bowls, including the record-breaking Super Bowl XLVI, when the New York Giants became the first team in history to reach the Super...

Garga Caserta (@GargaCaserta) is the former Head of Performance for the KC Current and the founder of TALO. With over a decade of experience training world-class athletes, Garga has coached at the highest levels of sport, including stints with the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, the Portland Timbers, and the Portland Thorns. His teams have won an NWSL championship and were 2x Supporters Shield Champions. Known for his transparent, accountability-driven approach, he bridges the gap between elite sports performance, strength and conditioning, and injury rehabilitation. Whether managing fitness departments or shaping collegiate programs, Garga's mission is simple: elevating...

Antonina "Tonya" Samoilova (@tonya.samoilova) ) is a record-setting Ukrainian mountaineer and alpinist known for scaling the world's most formidable peaks while raising global awareness for her homeland. She began her high-altitude mountaineering journey relatively recently in 2018, starting with Mount Kilimanjaro, and quickly transformed into one of Ukraine's most prominent endurance athletes. She is the first Ukrainian mountaineer in history to conquer the five highest mountain peaks in the world—Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, and Makalu, and the first Ukrainian woman to summit Mount Everest three times (2022, 2023, and 2024). In May 2024, she completed a rare double-header by summiting Everest and Lhotse wi...

Anne Walker is the Head Coach for Women's Golf at Stanford University, and has established herself as one of the premier college coaches in the country. In addition to leading the Cardinal to its first four NCAA titles in school history (2015, 2022, 2024, 2026), Walker has mentored some of the most recognizable names in the sport. Stanford has enjoyed unprecedented team and individual success under Walker. The Cardinal has qualified for the NCAA Championships in all 14 possible seasons during Walker's tenure, including nine appearances in the national semifinals, and has earned the distinction of being the only program in the country to...

This week on the podcast, we are doing a little something different. It's a conversation between JP Nerbun and John regarding the nearly simultaneous release of their new books on being a team captain and leader. Some people might think it interesting that authors with similar subjects would be collaborating on a book launch, but both of us do not believe in the scarcity mindset. The leadership space needs more books that are approachable for young athletes, high school athletes, and collegiate athletes, and we approach the topic differently. JP comes from a fable/fictional approach, while John and...

Ray Power (@power_ray) is a highly regarded international football/soccer coach, author, and coach educator. Holding a UEFA A License from the English FA, he is well-known globally for his youth development expertise, his best-selling coaching books, and his player-centered coaching philosophy. His books include Making the Ball Roll and Coaching Youth Football, and he has managed academies in multiple countries, including serving as Head of Youth Development for Waterford FC in Ireland, and developing an academy for Sunderland AFC in Africa. These days, he also spends much of his time as a "coaching confidant," working with elite...

Ryan Warsofsky just completed his second season as the head coach of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, this past season leading them to 39 wins, an 18 win improvement over 2025. He also served as the head coach for the U.S. Men's National Team for the first time at the 2025 IIHF Men's World Championship, winning a gold medal. Prior to joining the Sharks, Warsofsky was the head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the AHL for two seasons (2020-22), where, in 2022, at age 34, he became the youngest coach since Peter Laviolette in 1999 to guide a team to the Calder Cup. He...

Phill Drobnick (@CoachPhill) recently retired as the National Team Director at USA Curling after the 2026 Milan Olympics, bringing an end to nearly two decades of coaching experience at the international level. Since 2005, Phill has been instrumental in guiding Team USA to international success, including notable achievements at the Olympics and World Championships. Phill's coaching highlights include guiding Team USA to the Junior Men's World Championship in 2008, and more recently, orchestrating the unforgettable gold medal win for Team Shuster at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. That victory was the U.S.'s first-ever Olympic gold in curling. He was back...

Ric Bucher is an American NBA analyst for Fox Sports and an occasional host of FS1's "Speak" (formerly known as "Speak For Yourself") afternoon talk show. He also hosts a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Before joining Fox he was a SiriusXM radio host and senior writer with Bleacher Report. He has appeared on NBA TV as an analyst and on TNT as a sideline reporter for NBA telecasts. Prior to joining SXM, TNT and BR, Bucher worked as an NBA Insider for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area[. Bucher graduated from Dartmouth College, where he played...

Dan Abrahams (@DanAbrahams77) is a sport and performance psychologist. A former professional golfer, Dan has spent the last 20 years working with some of the best sports competitors in the world. He has been consultant psychologist for Aston Martin F1, and has been Lead Psychologist for England Golf and for England Rugby. He has held contracts with six Premier League football teams. In the U.S. he has worked with professional teams across all sports and is currently consultant psychologist to Angel City of the NWSL. He is author of four previous best-selling books (including Soccer Tough, a book that...

This week we welcome Dusty May, Head Coach of the 2026 NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball team. He was hired in 2024 by Michigan and immediately turned the program around winning 18 more games than 2023 and leading the Wolverines back to the top of the Big 10 and to the NCAA Sweet 16. In 2026 they went 37-3 and defeated UConn in the NCAA final to take their second ever national title. In this incredible conversation, May shares what his non negotiables are, how he creates a player centered environment centered around decision making and a willingness to make the right kind of mistakes...

This week we welcome Dusty May, Head Coach of the 2026 NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball team. He was hired in 2024 by Michigan and immediately turned the program around winning 18 more games than 2023 and leading the Wolverines back to the top of the Big 10 and to the NCAA Sweet 16. In 2026 they went 37-3 and defeated UConn in the NCAA final to take their second ever national title. In this incredible conversation, May shares what his non negotiables are, how he creates a player centered environment centered around decision making and a willingness to make the right kind of mistakes...

This week we welcome back Erin Quinn to the podcast. Quinn has spent the last twenty years as the athletic director at Middlebury College in Vermont, being recognized as the National AD of the Year in 2021. Under his tenure, his teams have won 19 NCAA championships, 69 NESCAC conference championships, and 29 Middlebury athletes have won individual NCAA championships. Prior to becoming athletic director, Quinn served as the head men's lacrosse coach at Middlebury, winning three NCAA national titles and six NESCAC championships. What we love most about him, though, is that he is known as "A.D. for the Coaches." Quinn...

Daniel Coyle (@danielcoyle) is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, which was named best business book of the year by Bloomberg BookPal and Business Insider. Coyle has served as an adviser to many high-performing organizations, including the Navy SEALs, Microsoft, Google, and the Cleveland Guardians. His other books include, The Talent Code, The Secret Race, The Little Book of Talent, Hardball: A Season in the Projects. His newest book is called Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning, Joy, and Fulfillment. This book is about building the environments that make us feel more connected, energized, and...

This week on the podcast, we are joined by three incredible guests: Kathy Delaney-Smith, Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, and Dr. Kimberly O'Brien.

Kathy Delaney-Smith is the winningest head coach in Ivy League women's basketball history. She spent 40 seasons at Harvard University, winning 11 Ivy League titles and taking her teams to six NCAA tournaments and eight women's NIT tournaments. Her teams won over 600 games, including 12 seasons with more than 20 wins and finishing above .500 in 31 of her final 33 seasons. She has been inducted into numerous Hall of Fames and received numerous accolades across the country for her work as one...

In 2026, USA Hockey accomplished something no other nation has ever done, winning Olympic gold medals for Mens, Women's and Paralympic Ice Hockey. Yet this was not something that happened overnight, and in fact was the culmination of nearly two decades of growing the game and modifying rules and game formats in order to develop more skillful players and a much larger player base to choose from. And who better to discuss this journey than one of its architects, Ken Martel.

Ken Martel was named senior director of player and coach development in November 2022. He is charged with...

After building a multimillion-dollar pool and construction business in college, and creating a Wall Street trading firm, Joe De Sena set his sights on ripping 100 million people off their couches by creating the Spartan lifestyle. He moved his family to Pittsfield, Vermont to operate an organic farm, a bed and breakfast, and a general store for hikers. It was here his passion grew for ultramarathons, adventure races, and endurance events, and thus the idea for Spartan was born.

With more than one million annual global participants at more than 270 events across more than 40 countries, Spartan offers heats...

After building a multimillion-dollar pool and construction business in college, and creating a Wall Street trading firm, Joe De Sena set his sights on ripping 100 million people off their couches by creating the Spartan lifestyle. He moved his family to Pittsfield, Vermont to operate an organic farm, a bed and breakfast, and a general store for hikers. It was here his passion grew for ultramarathons, adventure races, and endurance events, and thus the idea for Spartan was born.

With more than one million annual global participants at more than 270 events across more than 40 countries, Spartan offers heats...