How do you coach a million-dollar athlete s w ith all the talent in the world a nd varying levels of motivation? Tampa Bay Rays S &C Coach Andrew Mitchell s hares his experience with the "Skill W ill Matrix" – a simple but powerful framework that's transforming how he communicates with everyone from injured veterans to rising prospects.

C oach Mitchell shares his unconventional journey from coaching Parkinson's patients and personal training to professional baseball. We dive deep into why coaching is ultimately a people business, not a programming business, and how understanding the intersection of skill and motivation can revolutionize your approach to human performance.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#StrengthAndConditioning #BaseballPerformance #SportsCoaching #AthleteMotivation #PerformanceCoach #ProfessionalBaseball #SportsRehab #CoachingCommunication #SportsPsychology #AthleteDevelopment #TampaBayRays #SkillWillMatrix

047 - Coaching Skill & Will w/ Andrew Mitchell

Derek Woodske challenges everything you think you know about athletic success. While the sports world obsesses over superstars, Derek reveals why championships are actually built by the "glue guys" - the unsung heroes who hold teams together when everything falls apart.

Drawing from his experience coaching across multiple sports and levels, Derek shares the raw psychology behind delayed gratification in sports, the moment when athletes realize their careers are over, and how great coaches help players find their true purpose within the team dynamic.

This isn't motivational fluff - it's honest, psychological insight into what actually makes teams work. Whether you're a coach, athlete, or simply fascinated by human performance, Derek's philosophy will challenge how you think about success, failure, and finding your role in any competitive environment.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#SportsCoaching #TeamBuilding #SportsLeadership #AthleteMindset #PerformancePsychology #SportsMotivation #TeamCulture #CoachingPhilosophy #AthleticDevelopment #SportsSuccess #delayedgratification #sorinex #summerstrong #glueguy

046 - Delayed Gratification & Team Building w/ Derek Woodske

What if the most crucial skill for extraordinary success isn't talent, strength, or speed - but the ability to adapt and transform in the face of any challenge?

Stephanie Mock Grubbs, the trailblazing Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Houston Astros and the first female coach in franchise history, has mastered what she calls the "best ability" - adaptability - transforming how we develop resilient leaders in professional sports and beyond.

Discover how Stephanie built her comprehensive "arsenal" across volleyball, football, and baseball, creating a unique framework for social-emotional leadership development. Learn her powerful approach to helping athletes "get comfortable being uncomfortable," transforming wellness check-ins into trust-building conversations, and reframing stress as challenge rather than threat. From guiding college freshmen to embrace their "clean slate" mindset to helping professionals navigate elite competition pressures, Stephanie reveals strategies that create lasting transformation.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#AdaptabilityTraining #SocialEmotionalLearning #LeadershipDevelopment #StrengthAndConditioning #Astros #FemaleCoach #ResilienceBuilding #MentalToughness #GrowthMindset

045 - Adapt Ability w/ Stephanie Mock Grubbs

True leadership isn't just about being tough—it requires the poet, the science, and the warrior working together. That's the philosophy of Rudy Reyes, Marine Force Recon veteran and star of Fox's "Special Forces World's Toughest Test."

From raising his brothers out of a Kansas City boys' home to leading elite military units and training world champions on reality TV, Rudy has learned that sustainable leadership demands emotional intelligence, precision, and courage—all adapting to conditions on the ground.

In this candid conversation, Rudy opens up about his evolution as a leader, sharing hard lessons about the fine line between pushing limits and causing harm. He reflects on confrontations with celebrities like NFL star Dez Bryant that taught him profound lessons about forgiveness and letting go.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#RudyReyes #Leadership #SpecialForcesWorldsToughestTest #MarineVeteran #SelfLeadership #CoachingPodcast #MilitaryMindset #PersonalDevelopment #ForceBlue #VeteranStories #TeamLeadership

044 - Rudy Reyes on Complete Leadership: "The Poet, The Science, and The Warrior"

This episode isn't just about training methodology - it's about redefining what it means to pursue excellence in every area of life.

We travel to FAST Performance in Denver, CO to chop it up with Joel Raether, S&C coach for the Colorado Mammoth and leader in hunter performance. We discuss Joel's process-oriented approach to reframing failure as fuel for growth, the art of "connecting the dots" to accelerate buy-in, and practical strategies for developing self-awareness under pressure.

From teaching youth fundamentals to helping professionals find that crucial edge, Joel demonstrates how every rep becomes an opportunity for profound personal development. Listen to learn how movement can be a catalyst for extraordinary transformation that ripples through every aspect of life.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#ProcessOverPerfection #StrengthAndConditioning #MovementAsMedicine #CoachingPhilosophy. #AthletesDevelopment #PerformanceCoaching #HumanPotential - #GrowthMindset #MovementTransformation #FASTperformance

043 - Process Over Perfection w/ Joel Raether

What if the real victory in athletics isn't found on any scoreboard, but in the character forged through intentional training and genuine coaching? In this powerful conversation with Underground Strength Coach Zach Even-Esh, we dive deep into the transformative potential that lies within every training session.

With only 5.6% of high school athletes continuing at the collegiate level, we're forced to confront a fundamental question: Are we developing athletes, or are we developing humans? Zach brings decades of experience working with everyone from middle schoolers to Division I athletes, sharing raw insights about the current state of youth sports and the profound opportunity that exists within our training environments.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#BuildingBetterHumans #YouthSportsCoaching #CharacterDevelopment #StrengthCoaching #UndergroundStrength #ProcessOverOutcome #StrongLifePodcast #AuthenticCoaching #leadership

042 - Building Better Humans w/ Zach Even-Esh

The best player ON your team is not always the best leader FOR your team – a lesson professional lacrosse player Jack Hannah learned firsthand during his journey from All-American midfielder to team captain at the highest levels of the sport.

In this episode, Jack shares his unique perspective on leadership, drawing from his experience captaining his team in college and running with the PLL Waterdogs and NLL Las Vegas Desert Dogs. We explore what true leadership looks like when the stakes are highest and egos are biggest, and why the qualities that make someone a dominant player often differ from those that make them an effective captain.

Jack and Tex also do not hold back when discussing the critical issues they believes are stunting lacrosse's growth and development.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#LacrosseLeadership #JackHannah #ProfessionalLacrosse #SportsLeadership #YouthLacrosse #TeamCaptain #PremierLacrosseLeague #LacrosseCoaching #NationalLacrosseLeague #LacrosseDevelopment #PLL #NLL

041 - Learning Lacrosse Leadership w/ Jack Hannah

From puck drops to power cleans, Matt Shaw shares the story of how ice meets iron in the pursuit of hockey excellence at the University of Denver.

Shaw has spent 13 years building the S&C foundation behind multiple NCAA National Championship hockey teams. In this episode, he takes us behind the scenes of championship hockey development - from the ice rinks where future NHL stars are made to the weight rooms where iron sharpens iron. We explore his journey from wanting to be "reactive" in athletic training to becoming proactive in sports performance, and how that shift in mindset has shaped elite hockey players who've gone on to compete in the NHL, AHL, and beyond.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

#DenverHockey #HockeyPerformance #NCAAHockey #StrengthAndConditioning #SportsPerformance #HockeyTraining #CollegeHockey #ChampionshipMindset #FrozenFour

040 - DU Hockey: A Song of Ice & Iron w/ Matt Shaw

Olympic level coach Justin Kavanaugh shares the profound impact of environment on athletic development. Coach Kav shares how leaders emerge naturally when properly nurtured, the critical stages of coachability, and why the timing of feedback can make or break an athlete's growth. 

Discover the three critical components every successful environment must have: will, circumstances, and skill. Coach Kavanaugh breaks down how parents and coaches can build systems that allow young athletes to develop independence while maintaining appropriate support—reframing "helicopter parenting" into a strategic approach of adjusting altitude based on an athlete's needs.

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

2 Week Trial Coach Heroic - https://trainheroic.co/captains

#LeadershipDevelopment #SportsCoaching #AthleticMentorship #YouthSports #PerformanceEnvironment #CoachingPhilosophy #TeamCulture #AthleteGrowth #SportsLeadership #ParentingAthletes

039 - Why Environment Always Wins w/ Coach Kav

Ever wonder how Olympic champions build unshakeable mental fortitude? Dr. Zanis pulls back the curtain on his work with gold medalists revealing how they created an environment where these champion shooter continue to thrive on the world's biggest stage.

Zanis unpacks the revolutionary biopsychosocial model that's transforming coaching approaches at all levels, from youth sports to Olympic training. Matt also shares exclusive insights into how Olympic-level mental toughness is systematically developed through specific stress inoculation techniques that you can immediately apply with your own athletes. 

Old Bull Training Program - 7 Day Free Trial: https://bit.ly/old-bull-train

2 Week Trial Coach Heroic - https://trainheroic.co/captains

#BiopsychosocialModel #SportsPerformance #InjuryRecovery #AthleteMentalHealth #EliteCoaching #Olympics #ReturnToPlay #SportsRehabilitation #AthleteDevelopment #PerformanceCoaching

038 - Thrive Through Injury and Adversity w/ Dr Matt Zanis

The Fast-Track to Becoming a Game-Changing Leader.

Discover how the greatest minds in sports build winning cultures. Dive into raw, no-nonsense conversations with elite coaches and captains who've been in the trenches. We're not here for fluff – expect:

 * Hard-hitting strategies to skyrocket your team's performance
 * Insider tips on building unbreakable team chemistry
 * Career-defining lessons from both victories and failures

Whether you're calling plays or taking the field, we're building you up, not breaking you down. 

Ready to raise your game? Let's do it together.

Press play. Listen and lead with purpose. Become the leader your team needs.

Tex McQuilkin

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