Coaching Culture

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Brad Stulberg, bestselling author of "The Way of Excellence," as he shares groundbreaking insights on authentic leadership, team building, and sustainable high performance.Join TOC Coach for Free! https://www.skool.com/toccoachSubscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox 🔑 KEY LEADERSHIP TOPICS:✅ Excellence Framework: Discover why true excellence exists at the intersection of mastery (concrete skill development) and mattering (connection beyond yourself)✅ Team Leadership Strategies: Learn how to create belonging and purpose for every team member, even those without competitive opportunities✅ Process Over Outcomes: Actionable coaching methods to shift athlete focus from external validation to internal growth✅ Values-Driven Leadership: Why aligning actions with core values creates sustainable excellence and prevents burnout✅ The Finite and Infinite Game: Balancing short-term performance goals with long-term personal development✅ Managing External Pressures: Practical approaches for addressing parent expectations, social media influence, and performance culture✅ Goal Setting Reimagined: The three-tier framework - outcome goals, process goals, and person goals✅ Leadership Under Pressure: How elite coaches like Steve Kerr and Greg Popovich maintain perspective while competing at the highest level✅ Purpose vs. Values: Why values provide a more consistent foundation than purpose, especially during challenging times⏱️ EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:00:00 - Introduction: The Way of Excellence03:15 - Defining Mastery and Mattering08:42 - Team Sports vs Individual Pursuits12:30 - Creating Mattering for All Team Members18:15 - Process Over Outcomes in Practice24:50 - Finite and Infinite Games Framework29:40 - Addressing External Pressures (Parents, Social Media)35:20 - Goal Setting: Outcome, Process, Person42:10 - Leadership Excellence: Steve Kerr Case Study48:35 - Values vs. Purpose in Leadership53:20 - Avoiding the Purpose Trap💡 LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS YOU'LL LEARN:• How to reward effort over results while still honoring the importance of winning• Building brain trusts and support systems for high-pressure environments• The importance of defining roles for every team member• Teaching athletes to hold competing truths simultaneously• Preventing burnout through values-based decision making• Creating championship cultures that prioritize joy and competition📚 ABOUT BRAD STULBERG:Brad Stulberg is a bestselling author, coach, and internationally known expert on human performance, well-being, and sustainable excellence. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and Outside Magazine. Brad's previous books include "Peak Performance" and "The Practice of Groundedness."🔗 CONNECT & LEARN MORE:Brad Stulberg's Website: https://www.bradstulberg.com/"The Way of Excellence" Book: https://www.bradstulberg.com/booksBrad's Newsletter: https://thegrowtheq.com/Twitter/X: https://x.com/bstulbergInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradstulberg/Brad Stulberg on the Coaching Culture Podcast: Episode 333:https://youtu.be/53vl1XZ8lm0?si=5zeBbfumR7SOr42gEpisode 334: https://youtu.be/BHKG-RTxz0I?si=LdqQOowvSSlLFSzl🎯 WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR:• Coaches at all levels (youth, high school, college, professional)• Athletic directors and sports administrators• Team leaders and managers in any industry• Parents of young athletes• Anyone interested in sustainable high performance• Leadership development professionals• Sports psychologists and mental performance coaches💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION:What resonated most with you from this episode? How do you balance process and outcomes in your leadership? Share your thoughts in the comments below!🔔 Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and hit the notification bell to stay updated on our latest leadership conversations!

Stop using accountability as a weapon and start using it as a tool for growth. In this episode, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterick break down why traditional "discipline" often fails and how to build a culture of mutual trust.Subscribe to join us for more discussions like this and go deeper with a FREE membership in the TOC Coach Community: https://www.skool.com/toccoachSubscribe to the Culture Toolbox Newsletter for the notes to this and every episode! https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox Most coaches want accountability, but few know how to teach the actual communication skills athletes need to hold each other to a standard. We explore the "Trust Gap," the difference between punishment and outcomes, and a powerful story of how one athlete's confession transformed a team's culture.In this episode, we discuss:The Accountability Trap: Why athletes often have a negative association with the word and how to reframe it as "responsibility".   Skill vs. Fear: Why players don’t speak up (hint: it’s usually because they haven't been taught how).   Consistency is Key: How treating star players differently destroys team trust. Outcomes over Consequences: Shifting the language to emphasize player choice and education over compliance.   Building Mutual Trust: Practical ways to invite your players to hold you accountable as a leader.Chapters:0:00 – What coaches get wrong about accountability2:15 – Why athletes feel frustrated by "The Word"4:45 – The 3 things athletes need: Consistency, Clarity, and Skill7:30 – Accountability vs. Discipline vs. Feedback10:15 – Reframing "Consequences" to "Outcomes"13:40 – Deterrence vs. Grace: The "All-Boys School" example16:20 – A story of radical ownership: The athlete confession19:50 – How to build mutual trust with your players23:10 – Closing thoughts: Modeling the standard

In Part 2 of our conversation with performance nutritionist Daniel Davey, we go deeper into the psychology of behavior change and why traditional nutrition advice often fails. Daniel shares profound insights on coaching the person, not just the problem, and how childhood experiences shape our relationship with food.

What You'll Learn:
Daniel opens up about the influences that shaped his coaching approach—from his father's extraordinary listening skills to working with Jim Gavin and Dublin's five-in-a-row All-Ireland winning team. He reveals why the hardest part of his job isn't the nutrition science, but helping people realize they have the answers within themselves.
We explore the complex relationship between identity, body image, and performance—including how male athletes struggle with body image in ways that often go unaddressed. Daniel shares vulnerable stories about his own journey and why sometimes athletes need a "boot in the hole" while others need a hug.
Key Topics:
Why 3-5 minutes is enough for nutrition advice, but 55 minutes is needed to understand the person
The difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it
How childhood experiences shape our relationship with food
Identity vs. body image: Understanding the distinction in elite sport
Working with professional vs. amateur athletes: What actually changes
The alcohol conversation: Culture, masculinity, and performance in Irish sport
Why confidence—not meal plans—is the ultimate outcome of good nutrition coaching
Simple environmental changes that support good nutrition (hint: fruit baskets and microwaves matter)
Perfect for: Coaches who want to understand behavior change beyond their sport, practitioners working in nutrition or lifestyle coaching, and anyone interested in the deeper psychology of performance.
Daniel challenges coaches to examine their own relationship with food and asks: Are you embodying the behaviors you want to see in your athletes? This conversation goes far beyond nutrition—it's about what it means to truly support human performance.

Links & Resources:
Daniel Davey’s Website: daveynutrition.com (for recipes, articles, and consultation info).
Books by Daniel Davey: Eat Up, Raise Your Game and Eat Up: The Next Level.
Daniel Davey on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-davey-8326a839/ 
Join the TOC Coach Community for FREE https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about
Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter so you don’t miss the notes to this and every episode! https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox
Learn More and Apply for the next TOC Coaching Retreat: https://www.tocculture.com/retreat 
Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/

Join us for an in-depth conversation with performance nutritionist Daniel Davey, who has worked with elite teams including Dublin senior football and Leinster Rugby. In this episode, Daniel shares the realities of creating lasting cultural change around nutrition and lifestyle habits in high-performance environments.
What You'll Learn:
Daniel reveals why presentations and workshops alone don't create change, and why the real impact comes from ongoing conversations and relationships with athletes. He discusses the critical role of leadership buy-in, the importance of meeting athletes where they are, and why milk in the fridge and bananas on the counter might matter more than elaborate meal plans.
We explore the often-overlooked reality that even elite athletes—including national record holders—struggle with basic nutrition habits. Daniel shares powerful stories about what it means to truly care about athletes' development, from showing up at games to understanding someone's lemon zest and honey dressing.
Key Topics:
Why coach commitment is the single most powerful driver of nutrition culture
The limitations of one-off workshops vs. continuous support
How to have meaningful conversations that create lasting behavior change
Understanding energy management: physical, mental, and emotional
The pyramid of nutrition priorities (and why everyone wants to start at the top)
Red, orange, and green days: a simple framework for planning your week
Why the real work isn't about meal plans—it's about understanding the person
Perfect for: Coaches, performance staff, athletes, and anyone interested in creating sustainable change in high-performance environments.
Whether you're working with professional athletes or building culture in any competitive setting, Daniel's insights will change how you think about nutrition, behavior change, and what it really means to support performance.
Daniel Davey’s Website: daveynutrition.com (for recipes, articles, and consultation info).
Books by Daniel Davey: Eat Up, Raise Your Game and Eat Up: The Next Level.
Daniel Davey on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-davey-8326a839/
Join the TOC Coach Community For FREE! https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about
Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter so you don’t miss the notes to this and every episode! https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox
Learn More and Apply for the next TOC Coaching Retreat: https://www.tocculture.com/retreat
Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/

Are you feeling the weight of a million "important" tasks? In this episode, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterick dive into the concept of Essentialism in Leadership. We explore how to distinguish between mere stress and total overwhelm , why "function over fundamental" can transform your coaching , and how to decide what actually moves the needle for your team’s culture.
Timestamped Chapters:
0:00 - The "Million Things" Trap: Coaching in an Age of Information

3:30 - Stress vs. Overwhelm: Recognizing Systems Failure

5:50 - Navigating the Eisenhower Box: Urgency and Importance

8:30 - Why Coaches Get Fixated: The Illusion of Control

10:45 - Trade-offs and Lessons from a Ceramic Unicorn

16:40 - Function Over Fundamental: Letting Players Self-Organize

21:20 - Simplifying Culture: Why Your Team Needs Fewer Rules

25:35 - The Perspective Filter: "Will This Matter in a Year?"

30:10 - Listener Q&A: Navigating the Non-Compliant Senior

34:25 - The 5 C’s of Leadership: From Curiosity to Consequences

Connect with us:
Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox at tocculture.com.
Follow Betsy Butterick’s work at betsybutterick.com.
Get your question answered on the next episode: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2HrxkL9NrIjrm2G0W7IEoIvrrzWeidAX3jiR1d4kUH8Mg-w/viewform?usp=header
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