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151. Breaking Free from Distraction: How Coach Jaicee Roden Helps Her Athletes “Win the Hour”
47 Plays1 day ago
n our conversation with Ridgeline High School volleyball coach Jaicee Roden, one principle came through loud and clear: the athletes who rise to the top are the ones who learn to eliminate distractions.
Coach Roden, who has led some of Utah’s most competitive volleyball programs, shared how she’s seen the mental side of sports evolve in the age of constant connection. “Kids today have bigger battles with social media,” she said. “They’re not always sure why they’re doing what they’re doing anymore.”
She pointed to Dr. Craig Manning’s book The Fearless Mind and its formula for high performance:
Potential + Training – Distractions = Performance.
“The elimination of distractions is everything,” Roden explained. “The athletes who can build a better relationship with eliminating distractions are the ones who become elite.”
That’s a perfect example of the E4A principle Win the Hour — the call to be intentional with our time, to focus on what matters most in the moment, and to do what needs to be done rather than be pulled away by what doesn’t.
Coach Roden helps her players identify their distractions — from phones and social media to something more subtle, like perfectionism or self-doubt. “We don’t realize that our own hyper-criticism can be a distraction,” she said. “Good isn’t bad — but good is never great. If we want to be great, we have to rise above good.”
Her players use mental performance tools like Dr. Manning’s High Performance Journal to stay focused on their tasks — not their ego. “Task orientation,” she explained, “is when we know our role and we complete it, no matter how we feel. Ego orientation is when we think, ‘How does this make me look?’ The more we focus on the task, the more we grow.”
Coach Roden’s approach reminds every athlete that greatness isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters most, free from distraction. As she said, “Perfection isn’t an option, but progress is.”
So, how can you “Win the Hour”?
- Identify your distractions.
- Make a plan for when you’ll train, study, and rest.
- Focus on your tasks, not your ego.
- And above all — keep your eyes up to the work.
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Credits:
Hosted by Dustin Smith & Shad Martin
Produced by Shad Martin and IMAGINATE STUDIO
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Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast, where we explore essential principles that empower athletes to learn life's most valuable lessons through sports.
00:00:16
Speaker
Hi, everybody. Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast. I'm Dustin Smith. I'm here with Shad Martin, as usual. And we've got our special guest on today, Coach J.C. Roden of Ridgeline High School. J.C., I'm going to give you a second to tell us a little bit more about...
00:00:32
Speaker
you before you ended up being a ah volleyball coach at at Ridgeline, one of the top athletic programs in many sports in the state of Utah. And you come from a very athletic and successful family bloodline of of athletes.
00:00:48
Speaker
J.C., thank you for
J.C. Roden's Athletic Background
00:00:49
Speaker
joining us. Tell us a little bit about yourself and then we'll fire off some questions at you. Sure. I was raised, born and raised in Cache Valley. maiden name is Caressa, so formerly known as J.C. Caressa.
00:01:02
Speaker
and I'm the middle of two boys. Jake and Alex are my brothers. And I'm the perfect and favorite child between the two of them. um And I grew up i playing sports. being I grew up on a football field. I'm kind of the remember the Titans little girl.
00:01:19
Speaker
Always, always on the football field. And um I played volleyball, basketball, track and field. I begged if I could play football when I was young. My parents said no.
00:01:31
Speaker
Um, but volleyball was my first sport. I learned to love basketball. I also come from a basketball line. and my mom's a Haas. So we always had, um, our kids conference is what my grandpa Ralph called it.
00:01:45
Speaker
And kids conference always included a basketball camp with my grandpa Ralph and uncle Marty. So I grew up doing basketball camps and ended up doing track and field. I went on to play college volleyball at UVU.
00:01:58
Speaker
And when I graduated, i accepted my first head coaching position at Corner Canyon in 2013. And from there have been a head coach ever since. So I've been at three different schools, Corner Canyon, Mountain View, and now at Ridgeline.
00:02:15
Speaker
Awesome. Awesome. Well, that for those of you that don't know the Haas family and the Caressa family, um but her mom is a Haas. We've had Tyler Haas on our our show before. His dad, ah Marty Haas and brother TJ.
00:02:31
Speaker
are legends in BYU basketball. um Tyler is one of the greatest. ah So is really all of all three of them. And then the Haas brothers, JC's brothers are both very successful football players. BYU and Portland state, right?
Impact of Technology on Coaching
00:02:48
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah, and both very good football players. But the best athlete of all of them is with us right now, and that's that's Coach J.C. Roden. So, Coach, I'm going fire off a ah quick question at you. You've been coaching. you You said your first job was 2013.
00:03:06
Speaker
So we talk, and you've you've heard when I was up at your up at Ridgeline talk about this in a couple years. Right around 2007 when the iPhone came out, Kids that were born around that time are now the ones graduating.
00:03:22
Speaker
right if If you were born around 2007-ish, you're the you're the the recent or current or upcoming graduation ah graduates. And ah a book that we refer to often and especially for athletes called iGen, the iGeneration, is talking about that group.
00:03:39
Speaker
The kids born with iPhones already in the world and iPads and iPods and Instagram and Twitter and TikTok and Facebook and Snapchat. All this stuff has come since 2007.
00:03:51
Speaker
two thousand and seven So these kids don't know any different. And this doctor in the book goes on to talk about the differences in the current and recent graduating classes.
00:04:03
Speaker
versus graduating classes of 20, 30, 40 years ago, and all sorts of different social um sort of tests, not an extent not just questions and tests and habits and things that they're that they do.
00:04:17
Speaker
I know as a coach who's been coaching for for longer than 2013, I'm quite a bit older than you, but having been in coaching and in and in business with athletes in several different sports, including you know volleyball,
00:04:31
Speaker
um that it's it's different coaching kids now than it used to be. um I was curious if you if you could maybe speak to that. Have you noticed a difference in the, the and not and in some ways good too. I don't mean this to come across like lot old timers do that you know this generation is,
00:04:53
Speaker
negative, you know, say negative things about them. there There's a lot of really good fact. Most of it is good. But in the case of mental toughness and resiliency and um being coached hard, some of those things, I've noticed it's a little harder now. I'm getting used to it.
00:05:09
Speaker
But it's it's different than it used to be. So when you were first starting out or or playing yourself in 2013 when you first got your coaching job versus now 12 years later, have you noticed any difference in the way that you coach or in the way parents act now versus 12, 13, 14 years ago?
Challenges of Modern Athletes
00:05:29
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. and It's interesting because my first job at Corner Canyon um I was fresh out of college and going from college back to into a high school gym was a really hard challenge for me.
00:05:47
Speaker
um I was run out of that program because ah parents and I didn't connect and the kids, that I had come from maximum commitment, max effort, no excuses.
00:06:01
Speaker
Like your your job was on the line. And so um i actually got to ask myself this question 13, what, 12 years ago when I left Corner Canyon and went to Mountain View.
00:06:14
Speaker
And I think, I think the kids, they just have bigger, bigger battles with social media now. And i one of the things that I really try to do is connect with the kids and just figure out what it is that, that what motivates them or,
00:06:33
Speaker
what makes them want to be here. And the longer I go coaching, the less clear that is for the kids. It seems that it's not as clear as, well, like it or it's fun or i want to get a scholarship. it's it's not It's not as clear. They're not as sure as why they do do things, um which obviously that clarity of mind is really important when you put that commitment and that time forth. yeah.
Reducing Distractions for Performance
00:07:03
Speaker
and But I think that that's, I know that um in the fearless mind, Craig Manning talks about high performance. And one of those factors is eliminating distractions and that good performers or performers in general will have, you know their potential plus their training and high performers are going to have their potential, their God given ability, plus their mental and physical training and minus the distractions.
00:07:31
Speaker
um And the elimination of distractions, I think is really, really important. And so those that nowadays, those that elite, probably have a better relationship with eliminating distractions, in my in my opinion. Yeah.
00:07:45
Speaker
Yeah. And, and, and, and Dr. Manning, when he talks about that in the fearless mind, all is, is also goes into that. That equation you just gave is what then can lead to the distraction piece. If too many distractions are in that equation is what leads to the, what he called the trap of mediocrity.
00:08:02
Speaker
Right. Right. Where, where you get caught in that trap and and it's okay to be okay. And, and I just had a conversation with boys that I coach about this, just,
00:08:13
Speaker
like or late late last week, Friday or Saturday last week. And it was that you know you you get an A minus or you get a B plus. Okay, that's good. You're probably not going to get a lot of hassle from anybody if you're getting A minuses and B pluses, but you're capable of getting an A. and Or maybe you're only required to get a B or a B plus or only ah required to get a 2.0 according to the school system, right? To be eligible.
00:08:40
Speaker
So when you get a 3.2,
00:08:43
Speaker
everybody says, hey, good job, right? like if and So but that's easy then to get caught with, why don't you get a 4.0? And what you just said, I think we actually could talk about this for a minute.
00:08:53
Speaker
What you just said, that distraction piece, is the key ingredient, I think, to that, right? They have the potential and they're getting the training at this, the same training, I think it, I mean, training is different in school and maybe even at home with parents, what they do with you and how they help you grow up. But you have a teacher that's there working with all the students, but that distraction piece is so important. It's sending kids this way or that way.
00:09:19
Speaker
And, you know, it becoming high performers in whether that's athletics, whether that's business, whether that's, you know, school.
Creating a Focused Environment
00:09:26
Speaker
And Shad, you work with, you're in the education world as well, have been for your career in teaching and teaching and finding the best ways to reach kids.
00:09:35
Speaker
What do you guys find in that distraction piece? And how's that changed, you know, since you first started 20 whatever years ago? Yeah. I mean, it it first of all, it takes a big toll on teachers. I think we should be.
00:09:49
Speaker
I mean, our teachers right now, some of them are like, wow, I don't know if I signed up for this. Right. Just the managing of that. But as as you two were sharing your thoughts there, have you guys heard that kind of the parable? I don't know what to call it, but the eagle and the chickens, you know, there's this eagle that's walking around with the chickens and never even thinks it can fly because it it doesn't see the chickens fly, right? And as as you think of um the iGen generation and them growing up and cell phones and distraction has just literally been part of their life forever. I mean, parents, when they want to calm a kid down in an airport or ah or a restaurant or whatever, what do they do?
00:10:35
Speaker
Right. I mean, they they take their phone, they hand it to the kid and like it just that's the way they've coped. That's the way they've they've done everything that they've done. And so we have a bunch of kids that are just like a fish swimming in water that doesn't even know there's something outside of that that water.
00:10:53
Speaker
And. And if they would just realize that, man, just just put that thing down and get a plan, even if it's hard, like make a plan.
00:11:04
Speaker
George Nguyen talked about that with us just a few weeks ago, Dustin, where where he said, man, when I realized, when I saw these great people that that had a plan.
00:11:15
Speaker
um You know, the Steph Curry's, the the Clay Thompson's, the Draymond Green, they were the same place every day. They had a system. And he realized, I don't have a system.
00:11:26
Speaker
And I'm just thinking, like, a lot of these kids don't even... They just need to break out of that atmosphere of distraction that they've been raised in. And one way to do that might be to come up with a very intentional plan.
Sports Psychology Program
00:11:41
Speaker
I'm going to do this from this time to this time. Then I'm going to study from this time to this time. And I'm going to, if they will just take that one little bit of advice and break out of the distraction and detox from it a little bit. And I think our governor in our state here in Utah is really helping kids do that. Most schools have a very strict cell phone policy now and kids aren't allowed to have them in class. And and that might be part of that, just to realize to break away
00:12:08
Speaker
And to realize what you can accomplish if you are not distracted. And so we're seeing it. and But for me, it creates a great opportunity for kids and parents and coaches who are listening to this to be intentional.
00:12:21
Speaker
If they'll just say, hey, do you realize you could fly if you want to? yeah but You don't have to be down here just pecking at the ground. If you're willing to break free from distraction and be intentional about your life, you could soar. And maybe the good news is there's not many people willing to do that.
00:12:40
Speaker
So if you're just willing to do that one simple thing, you can accomplish so much right now and we see that in athletes and academics socially we see it all over those who are willing to break free get off the ground and fly free a distraction are going to have a way different life than those who who aren't willing to do that yeah so coach how have you helped your athletes break away from distractions so that they can be high performers Yeah, so we do, i do a pretty lofty sports psych program. My background is in behavior um emphasis and psychology.
00:13:18
Speaker
And so I don't know how people coach without a background in behavior and psychology because I seriously just watch my players and it's obvious, right? People experience, we we have good intentions, but people experience our behaviors, not our intentions.
00:13:35
Speaker
And so then when behavior shines through for good, for bad, for ugly, it really is a good demonstration of what's going on in the kids in the kids mind or what's going on in their life that maybe we're not quite sure about.
Task vs. Ego Orientation
00:13:50
Speaker
um And so I we do in our sports psych, we talk a lot about distractions. And we talk about what those are and what they include. And sometimes the good things are still distractions.
00:14:02
Speaker
You know, like if they can pinpoint exactly when um somebody walks in the gym for a game, that's not necessarily a bad thing, right? A supporter that they love who is there to just be a part of their success and their story.
00:14:15
Speaker
um But the fact that we're aware of the exact moment that they're there is also a ah moment to kind of take us out of an opportunity to get in the zone um or to stay focused in what's going on. So we we identify lots of distractions and it's interesting because obviously social media is a big one. Obviously,
00:14:36
Speaker
um you know, breaking up with a boyfriend or something at home, those, those are the easy identifiers, but it's, it's not, we don't even know that we're our own distraction, that our own, um, hypercriticism and our own perfectionism, um, is some of what distracts us. And so even that kind of devil on the, on your shoulder can be a form of distraction. So we talk a lot about what distract, how distraction comes about and how it presents itself for each individual
00:15:08
Speaker
And then we present strategies and encourage them to work through some strategies. We actually use Craig Manning's High Performance Journal. um And that that helps them stay focused on task orientation versus ego orientation.
00:15:23
Speaker
and And so its it's just I think it's just about strategizing, right? I think it's, ah you know, the X's and O's. If we're going to be the best on the court physically, then we also need to be the best on the court mentally and emotionally. And If I'm aware that if the matchup physically makes a lot of sense or it doesn't make sense, then we're going to put a scouting report together that will put us with our best foot forward.
00:15:47
Speaker
And I think it's the exact same thing coaches can, could, um we can really and advance our athletes and our training when we're aware of the matchups that they're up against mentally and physically. And I know in female volleyball,
00:16:05
Speaker
A lot of that is our own self-identity and distraction of in that feelings of inadequacy. I can't tell you how many of my girls feel like it's not good or it's not good enough.
00:16:17
Speaker
And so we talk about, you know, good is never bad. Good is never bad, but good is never great either. yeah And so if we're stuck in good, then good isn't bad. Like good will never be bad. They're opposites for reasons.
00:16:31
Speaker
And I think so many times the kids align good with bad. If it's just good, therefore it's never good enough. And then we get to this perfectionist mentality of I'm not good enough.
00:16:44
Speaker
or I'm not doing this, or this wasn't but exactly the way that I want it to be. Therefore, even though it was good, it's bad. um And so we talked that good is good is never bad and good is never great.
00:16:57
Speaker
And so if we want to be great, then good might be the enemy of that. And if we want, if we don't want to be bad, then good is a really great option too. um But i think a lot of that distraction is just in our own minds, how we're thinking and how we're comparing and how we're criticizing and how, you know, we want to be perfect when in all reality, perfection is not an option.
Promoting a Growth Mindset
00:17:23
Speaker
And so we're setting goals on things that don't exist. Can you go into a little bit? I'm curious. um You said task oriented instead ego oriented. Can you elaborate on that for those who aren't familiar with that?
00:17:36
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. So task completion is we know what each role is on our course. So for us, like a setter, a setter's tasks are to do X, Y, and z and those tasks, when those tasks are complete, then that role is put in a place to be successful, right? The person in that role is put in a place to be successful. I love task orientation because um players come and go and programs and players bring their individual strengths and their individual weaknesses, but the role stays essentially stays the same. And so the team can't function without a setter.
00:18:18
Speaker
In football, you know, our it's our quarterback. Our setter is equivalent to our quarterback. um And identifying tasks, it's like we always talk about a chore chart. We put it in chore charts.
00:18:30
Speaker
So growing up, right, when mom went to work, when dad went to work, it was, here's your, you come home from school and these are your chores and your chores need to be done by a certain time. And they also need to pass mom's inspection. That's kind of what needs to happen. to happen And so we talk about our tasks as and a chore chart, as a task chart.
00:18:51
Speaker
When I'm a setter, no matter how I'm feeling, no matter what's happened throughout my day, no matter ah whatever those feelings are, I need to function above those feelings and complete my task. My role is complete when the tasks are done and the tasks need to meet the expectation of mom's inspection.
00:19:09
Speaker
Right. and And so we really have a good, clear idea of what those tasks are for each position. and But ego orientation is the opposite of that.
00:19:20
Speaker
It's what self-serving it's the outcomes. It's me, it's mine, it's how, how it benefits me. Or, um oftentimes an ego orientation can come across as, um, if I don't do this, then this, and it's, it's self-serving or it's serving,
Changing Internal Dialogue
00:19:39
Speaker
serving an ego or an outcome. versus this is my task and this is my job to get this done aside from whatever is or isn't going to happen after this, it doesn't change the task.
00:19:52
Speaker
So does that make sense? I'm taking taking notes over here. That's why I've been here writing. You've said three or four things where I'm like, ooh, I like that. Ooh, I like that. but yeah Yes, it makes sense. I actually, as I was writing down one of the things you said, as Shad was asking you that question, I kind of bumped into a question.
00:20:11
Speaker
So I have, you know, good is never bad, but good is never great, which I love that players identify good with bad, but that they're opposites. um Good enough then can become almost, ah so that's why I wanted to ask you.
00:20:24
Speaker
So good, not good enough, how do, it it almost becomes a ah ah block, right? in progression because I'm never going to be good enough, but you're good, right? Which, which, how do you get somebody out of that mindset of not being so negative on themselves because they are good, that right? They're not bad.
00:20:47
Speaker
But how do you ever get somebody to not think I'm not good enough if they're not great? Does that make sense? Yeah. like And it's a good question. Let me know when we find the answer. Yeah, okay. yeah that's no it's I've been i been thinking like, yeah, because you don't want to tell an athlete, hey, but you're really, really good. And that's that's okay because you know the next thing out of your mouth is going to be all the, well, good is the enemy of great. And our we want to be great. And we want to be elite. And we want to, okay, coach, but I'm good. So is that bad?
00:21:23
Speaker
No, but yes, because I want you to be great. Yeah. Yeah, no, I think I love a gym full of empowered athletes.
00:21:35
Speaker
That is one of the one of the reasons why I stay in high school coaching. Why I ever got into it, I'm not really quite sure. It's hard. Yeah, hear you. And it's so rewarding, but it is it is hard. And sometimes it's not fun, but it's rewarding. The difference between fun and rewarding, right?
00:21:53
Speaker
and and I feel like there's, there's, there are so many questions that the kids that they come with and I feel like, um, creating and helping them navigate their own dialogue.
00:22:09
Speaker
I think that if we can change our language, then we can change our mindset. And if we change our mindset, then we can change our behavior. So I think if we have kids that are showing, you know, behaviors, I was always taught to train behaviors, not outcomes.
00:22:25
Speaker
So if I have a super hot headed athlete, which personally I love because they're feisty, but the behavior isn't necessarily a ah successful behavior. So now I need to take this feisty kid um who is all about themselves, a lot of ego orientation and give them strategies and help create a dialogue that's successful for them.
00:22:45
Speaker
I think one of the most powerful things that coaches can do now is I'm i'm not trying to get kids to be me. Right. I grew up in a different generation. i was, i you know, I'm not trying to get them to be me.
00:22:57
Speaker
However, connecting with them and figuring out what their what the voice in their head or the voices in their heads. head is saying and then helping them navigate what that sounds like, what that dialogue sounds like. So again, the not good enough, well, that if if if you've seen the TED talk, like the power of yet, you know, not good enough could actually also, if you do a cognitive restructure,
00:23:23
Speaker
That could also be, well, I'm not there yet. And what that does to the mind is it completely changes it. However, it's the same message, right? I'm not, I'm not good enough versus like I'm working and I'm not there yet.
00:23:37
Speaker
yeah I think that restructuring how we speak to ourselves and how we speak to others think is really important for this generation so that good isn't bad, that good is still good and good can become great.
00:23:50
Speaker
Excuse me. Good can become great with the right thought process, with the right physical process, with the right emotional process. But all of that requires work and coachability and restructuring, whether that's something fundamentally or whether that's something, you know, internal that we've got to think through and talk about and,
00:24:11
Speaker
You know, have those hard conversations.
Encouraging Patience and Growth
00:24:14
Speaker
Yeah. Those leaders in my life that have made a big difference. It's like they have this great ability to help me feel appreciated where I'm at, but to not settle for that.
00:24:27
Speaker
So, you know, I'm told, hey, that's great. You have improved so much in this area and I know you could be better. And I am so pleased with the progress that you've made.
00:24:38
Speaker
And when we focus on direction instead of destination, like, um you know, you are improving so much. there I don't know how we do that. I love what you're saying, JC, about every, you need to come up with a communication plan with each young person that that fits for them, right? I mean, Dustin, you coach hundreds of kids and some of them, you could grab them by the face mask and pull them in and yell at them and they're like, that lights them on fire.
00:25:04
Speaker
And another kid, that destroys them. And And one kid actually needs that. And another kid, that would be detrimental to their performance. That's a challenge of maybe the adventure of being a coach, right, is is figuring that out. But I think that if we could ask ourselves the question, how can i help this young person see the progress they've made and how good their direction is without without settling. Love them where they are, but don't settle for that.
00:25:35
Speaker
Because if we settle for that, I think that's when good can become the enemy of great, is when we settle for good. We could appreciate good without settling for good. Yeah. Absolutely.
00:25:50
Speaker
Shad, you, JC, both of you said something that I want to kind of touch on. Shad, you started off what you just said by, and then you ended it with it again, is you used the word appreciate. There's another great TED talk on that word, appreciation versus recognition.
00:26:05
Speaker
um When you recognize somebody did something well, you give them an award or something, it's different than telling them that you appreciate who they are as a person, right? That the work ethic they put into becoming this and you appreciate that. You appreciate them and their commitment is different than I recognize that you you've lifted weights really hard. I recognize that. I see that you're bigger.
00:26:32
Speaker
Good job. It's different than pulling them aside and saying, I want you to know I appreciate all the time and effort you've put in to getting bigger and to getting stronger. I know how hard that is and I appreciate what you've committed to. and But anyway, it go but but in the in the in the realm of coaching, I think, Chad, our players knowing, players knowing and kids are as parents, knowing that we appreciate them.
00:26:57
Speaker
We appreciate what they're giving, what they are doing. whether it's Whether they're at good or they're at great or they're wherever they're at, if they're trying and that we recognize that by then telling them we appreciate, not just recognizing it, but that we appreciate what they're doing to try to fit in, to try to know their role and do their part.
00:27:17
Speaker
And JC, to your part, going back to what you were talking about on the, You know, how do you yeah get them from good to great and not discourage them if they're not good enough? And and yet, which I love, um my favorite coach is Nick Saban.
00:27:30
Speaker
And Nick Saban, I just shared this not long ago on so on social media about, maybe it's to my players, but a talk he gave where he talked about his coach's job is to break, to find their breaking point.
00:27:43
Speaker
So we need to find out what breaks you, how far we can get you before you break. And that's hard. And for a lot of kids, They tap out really quick. Just that comment would cause some kids to tap out that someone might try to break you, right, to push you to a point.
00:27:59
Speaker
So as we were thinking that, I wonder, well, that might be an interesting way of looking at it. So a kid's, I'm not good enough. Well, you haven't reached your breaking point yet. I'm trying to push you. You can go further. You haven't broke yet. You got more to go.
00:28:15
Speaker
We're just starting. I got a lot more to get out of you. You're not done yet. You haven't broke yet. Yeah, you're not there. You're not there yet. It's because you haven't broke yet. You got a long way to go before you're going to break.
00:28:27
Speaker
and when and And when you get close to that point, um knowing you and appreciating how you are as a person, you'll be great because you're, you and then remind them because you have this and you have this and you have this. And I know that you're young and you're learning and you still have to, you're going to be great eventually to your point coach about yet.
00:28:48
Speaker
And I appreciate to your point, Shad, that you recognize that and that you want to do the work because really that's eyes up, do the work. Eyes up is recognizing, being aware, recognizing I'm not there, not there yet.
00:29:02
Speaker
recognition of that, right? And then turning that into, well, then now we'll do the work so you can get there. that' That's eyes up, do the work. um No, Dustin, your thought um about appreciate and, you know, to emphasize what Shad was saying, and i recently heard, going completely ruin it, but and something along the lines of gratitude puts us in the present.
00:29:32
Speaker
And so the difference between recognition and appreciation might be um ah living in the moment. And so if i'm if I'm grateful, then it puts me in my here and my now, which is also eliminating distractions, right? It's you know putting your eyes up and doing the work. i'm not I'm not anywhere else. I'm where my own two feet are.
00:29:54
Speaker
And I'm, I'm there and I'm expressing appreciation or gratitude, or maybe I'm just even identifying that, which actually puts you in your presence, which is really powerful. There's a lot of research that says great things come with living in your moment.
00:30:12
Speaker
um I love when Craig Manning talks about, you know, fear is in the future and any, anything that we're fearful of exists in our future. hasn't, it hasn't come about yet.
00:30:24
Speaker
And i i really i I put that to the chest all the time. Like, okay, I'm scared. Oh, yeah. Well, that hasn't happened yet. Could it happen in a split second? Yes. But it's not happening right now in this in this second. We're in this moment.
00:30:38
Speaker
So um I love that because I think as we're talking about eliminating distractions to get to high performance, I think gratitude is a really great um principle of that that can just create a more whole wholesome, well-rounded athlete who appreciates what's what's in front of them, who appreciates opportunities to get better, who is excited and grateful for ways to overcome challenges, even though the challenge we're not quite sure how it sees through.
00:31:07
Speaker
or what we're going to do coming ahead, maybete that that might be a little bit of fear, you know? However, i can be grateful for that experience and to learn that experience right now, which puts me back in my present.
00:31:19
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. Shad, I as she keep going there. i She said something about gratitude that that we could go on for another 20 minutes on that. So I'm actually going to put my notes down. I saw something when you said that. I grabbed an NPR TED Talk on gratitude that I'm like, oh, I know where she's going. this is gonna And then I'm like, oh, man, it's another podcast interview. I'll have to do it again, Coach. One of the things I was going to say, Dustin, is um I've shared maybe this analogy before. I don't know. But I think sometimes it's good like when you think of a fruit tree, right?
00:31:54
Speaker
um We plant fruit trees and planting a fruit tree, digging the holes and and all of that stuff, it could be pretty, pretty grueling work. And then the first couple of years, you really don't get anything off of a fruit tree, a peach tree, for example.
00:32:09
Speaker
you You plant it and you prune it. And three years later, you know, you're going to have you're going to have peaches. But one of the things that I've noticed about process, like ah like a peach tree, is when we're digging that hole, we have to remember that the day is going to come when I'm going to pluck the peach, right? And I'm going to come in on a fall day and have some peaches and cream, and it's going to be amazing.
00:32:36
Speaker
And I think sometimes we don't talk enough about peaches. as we're doing the digging as coaches, right? So we could come into a ah young person who's really trying to improve and really trying to get better.
00:32:50
Speaker
And when all we care about is peaches, right? And if we're going and we're just saying, no peaches yet, I don't see any peaches. You know, you keep digging, you keep pruning, I don't see any peaches, right?
Athletics as Life Skills
00:33:03
Speaker
That could be, they could be looking around going like, oh my gosh, all I do is is dig, right?
00:33:08
Speaker
right versus coaches that seem to inspire and mentors that seem to inspire they seem to have this ability to encourage the digging because of the peach right like look i know you're digging right now i know you don't see it right now but the day is going to come when you're going to come out here on a beautiful fall day pluck a peach it's going to be delicious it's going to be awesome and i just noticed that people who try to inspire digging versus eating peaches.
00:33:41
Speaker
but but If we want to inspire people, there's that famous quote that if you want someone to build a boat, you know, don't talk about construction and sawing and and nails and hammering, just help them long for the adventure and immensity of the sea.
00:33:57
Speaker
And so in what we're saying here, I think it's those are the thoughts that it's spurning is as we try to help kids feel good about where they're at and what they're doing and not settling for it, we could appreciate the digging and the pruning.
00:34:14
Speaker
and talk about their future and the peaches that are going to come into their life because they're doing what they're doing right now. And I think that that might help strike a balance between not settling for good, but talking about greatness, appreciating good work, but not settling for goodness.
00:34:36
Speaker
Yeah. Greatness is peaches, but got to dig to get there. You know, I think aligning that to something bigger than the game. right and so like yeah i think that peaches serve a role it as a peach farmer and probably a lot of other areas of life and so i think aligning athletics for these kids you know for me all i wanted to do was play ball right and i went to college not to go get my education but to play ball and then my education became the benefit of it right and i didn't learn i didn't learn that until later on in my career i was like
00:35:13
Speaker
wait, I've got this all, this is all mixed up. This is completely backwards. And for me, that was okay. The way that I grew up, that was okay. I think these kids need to see how that serves them as a person. You know, we talk in special ed, we talk about person first language. It's a student with a disability. It's not a disabled student. And so I think the same, if we were to apply that to every part of our life, if we were to see people first over athletes, or if we were to see people first and then potential,
00:35:42
Speaker
and If we were to see people first and then put the training in, I think that that gives the kid a different idea of how athletics can serve their life, right? That's a that's what especially for athletes is is. It's a way to enhance leadership. It's a way to enhance quality of life. It's life skills.
00:36:01
Speaker
And I think that speaking to the kids about how digging serves them in life, there's going to be a time they're going to need to dig again. right? They might have a beautiful peach tree that is, you know, full full of peaches and they're able to share with all their neighbors and text their neighbors. I love it when that happens and my neighbors are like, Hey, we have all those produce. I'm like, sweet. Now I don't have to garden. Right.
00:36:26
Speaker
But it doesn't change the fact. You're like me. You like having neighbors that like peach digging. Exactly. Exactly. I'll dig somewhere else that you got the peaches.
00:36:37
Speaker
No, but I think aligning that to how it serves these kids. these people in athletics athletics is what we do right it's not it's not who we are and so helping them understand that digging right now looks like this and that's a great job digging and later on in life we're going to need to dig again i i shared with you guys earlier that i lost a child 10 years ago yeah And I didn't realize, you know, he was born with a rare genetic disease that my husband and I happen to be. Perfection isn't necessarily something that we can attain, but my husband and I are perfect, bad combination for genetics.
00:37:21
Speaker
And it gave us a terminally ill child. um And with that, I got to care for a dying child for nine months. He lived for nine months. and what I didn't realize then was i had to, we lived in Orem at the time.
00:37:40
Speaker
And my son was at Primary Children's. And what I didn't realize then is that I needed to get up and go to early mornings with my son, right? I needed to get myself up and get ready and wake up really early early in the morning. Otherwise, I would miss time with him. What I didn't realize is that that digging had been done before, but in athletics.
00:38:03
Speaker
And so what it required me to dig again in a different environment and a much harder environment, I already knew how to dig. i already knew how to get in there and really manage the hard work. What did it would did it change that it was hard? No. Did I like it?
00:38:20
Speaker
No, not at all. But I knew how to do it. I was able to refine that skill of the digging, even though athletically i had ah i had accomplished a Division I career.
00:38:32
Speaker
i could have, should have gone and played professionally. And so athletically, athletically i had my peaches. But then three years later, after I graduated, I needed to start digging again with a sick child and an environment of life that I did not know how to navigate. It was unknown and foreign to me again, but the skills of digging came from athletics. And so much of that was familiar to me that I actually remember saying to my mom, I'm better at this than I thought. i i I'm doing a better job than I thought I was.
00:39:06
Speaker
And lots of that was, you know, lots of prayers and lots of divine intervention. But the other thing was I had created a work ethic that required me to dig.
00:39:17
Speaker
And I knew how to do that again at the very basic level. And three years after I graduated with a successful career, I was able to go back and dig. And that was super rewarding the second time around in a much more difficult environment.
Maximizing Potential
00:39:37
Speaker
Yeah, that's, so you know, I think that's a good spot to probably and right there. you're both both Both of your last two comments there, we went a totally different direction than we intended on talking. We didn't even get to the questions that I had i had emailed you about, but I think that that was a good good discussion. and And ending on that idea digging,
00:39:58
Speaker
and understanding that the prize, so to speak, Chad, or that what the why we're digging, right, having a why and having some hope that this digging is going to actually bring us something of value um and inspiring that.
00:40:12
Speaker
And then, like you said, JC, understanding that that's it teaches us that we can do it, that we can dig, you know, and and maybe I'll just end with this. in in the way that God looks at us, the way that we look at our kids and the way that probably coaches look at their players, right? you know, God sees us as we could, we can become.
00:40:34
Speaker
And our parents, I think, see, we see our kids on what they can become. We understand it's going to be hard and high school is going to be tough. And, and we We see it. We know it's coming, but we know what they're going to become if they hang in there. And I think as coaches, good coaches, and if parents will let their coaches coach, and we see the players as what they can become.
00:40:57
Speaker
And we understand that there are certain things that have to happen in order for them to become that. You have to dig. You have to prune the tree. You have to be patient. It's not going to be immediate like the tree. They're going to have to go through not feeling good enough, but understand that you're not there yet.
00:41:14
Speaker
We haven't broken you yet. You still got more to go. You're still going to get better. heyin We're going to keep pushing you. We appreciate you. We appreciate all you're doing. right If we can tie all of that in,
00:41:26
Speaker
um and And then our athlete, our child, and I think, um you know, in the way that God looks at us, we'll all become and our kids will become what they're capable of becoming, which might not be a Division
Concluding Thoughts: Eyes Up, Do the Work
00:41:39
Speaker
I athlete.
00:41:39
Speaker
And it might not be the most successful businessmen in the world or businesswomen or the most, it might not be all that, but, but you know, they're they're going at least max their potential.
00:41:50
Speaker
And that's what we want is everybody to hit their, what they're capable of and and and max out and say, I reached what my, my very greatest and wherever that puts me, it puts me, but I can know my empty, my tank is empty.
00:42:03
Speaker
You know, I am ah used it all up. I gave it all I had. And that's what sports teaches. That's the digging, right? And and so, well, JC, thanks so much for hopping on with us. And thank you for being advocate for Eyes Up Do the Work. Before we end here, what does Eyes Up Do the Work mean to you? And and and how could that help parents and athletes?
00:42:25
Speaker
Yeah, i think I think about this a lot. So thank you guys for planting. I mean, I just love the simplicity of how it's said. um And it it just goes so far in just such few words. And I think that that's a really, really powerful. It's also something that can always you can always be learning about. So right now, um i probably wouldn't have said this a year ago, but right now, eyes up, do the work means put your phones down.
00:42:53
Speaker
and get your eyes up and actually see people and communicate with people and make people feel feel good feel seen and feel valued and problem solved and you know f face your fears of being without your phone but right now i think eyes up do the work requires an a limit like we talked about an elimination of distraction but put your phone away leave it at home turn it off at certain times of the day for an hour or 15 minutes um See your, see your kids. My son, i told him, I was like, as soon as you feel like mommy's prioritizing the phone, he sits, but I'm teaching him to use his words to help me know when he feels second to technology.
00:43:37
Speaker
Now it's a little different. i I work a lot with technology and I need to be on my phone. But what that sounds like for my six-year-old is, hey, mom, can you put that down for a second? I need to talk to you.
00:43:49
Speaker
Or, hey, mom, I feel like you like your phone more than me right now. And giving like equipping the kids with an opportunity to communicate. And I also think doing that as and as adults. I tell my kids, we're actually, we're on a, um,
00:44:03
Speaker
two week challenge right now. I challenge my kids. It's not a challenge is not required. Um, but we're on a two week challenge of deleting social media. And I have some girls that were really excited about it. And some were like, I can't go without this, or I can't do this. And, um, I think it's important that we keep our eyes up and do the work.
00:44:24
Speaker
Put your phones down. if Stay focused. Yeah. Well, thanks thanks again, Coach, for hopping on. Thank you. know We'll cut this up and use a lot of this in a lot of different ways and and probably be asking you to hop on again with us. I'd be happy to. Thanks for your time.
00:44:40
Speaker
Awesome. Thank you. Thanks, everybody, for joining us. Keep your eyes up. do the work. Thank you for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. To learn more about Especially for Athletes organization, get a copy of our book, The Sport Light, or to bring our program to your team, school, business, or organization, visit us at especiallyforathletes.org.