Coaching Culture

How do you build a championship culture that goes beyond the scoreboard? Justin Simpkins, founder of Prairie Hockey Academy, shares how he turned a small-town Saskatchewan hockey program into one of Canada's premier character development academies — and why the secret to elite athletic leadership has nothing to do with winning.In this episode, we dive deep into transformational leadership in sports, character-based coaching, and what it actually takes to build a culture where athletes don't just become better players — they become better people.Whether you're a coach, athletic director, parent, or leader, this conversation will challenge the way you think about leadership development, team culture, and the true purpose of sport.🏒 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:Why "hockey is just a vehicle" is the philosophy changing youth sportsThe concept of meekness as power under control — and why it's the foundation of servant leadershipThe difference between demanding and demeaning in coachingWhy hiring for character beats hiring for credentials every timeHow player development plans keep coaches focused on what mattersWhat the Ritz-Carlton principle has to do with building elite team cultureWhy love is the real "secret sauce" in transformational coaching⏱️ CHAPTERS:0:00 – Introduction to Prairie Hockey Academy & Justin Simpkins4:42 – Power Under Control: Meekness, Servant Leadership & Intentional Coaching7:25 – Selling a Character-First Vision in a Competitive Hockey World8:11 – The Turning Point: When Athletes Wanted to Come Back9:16 – Building Culture from the Inside Out: Staffing & Coaching Philosophy12:26 – Don't Chase Credentials — Hire for Heart & Growth Mindset14:10 – Operationalizing Values: Player Development Plans & Character Sessions23:45 – Being Recognized as Canada's Premier Character Development Academy24:55 – Advice for Athletic Directors & Club Leaders: Know Your Why28:34 – First Things First: Why Sport Doesn't Automatically Build Character33:12 – Key Takeaways from JP & Nate🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED:🌐 TOC Culture (Thrive On Challenge): https://tocculture.com📧 Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox🏒 Prairie Hockey Academy: https://www.prairiehockey.ca/📚 Significance Over Success: https://www.amazon.com/Significance-Over-Success-Redefining-Obsessed/dp/B0G3KBGBSK🎙️ ABOUT THE COACHING CULTURE PODCAST:The Coaching Culture Podcast is built to help coaches, leaders, and culture builders become better at what they do — on and off the field. Hosted by JP and Nate, each episode features honest conversations with coaches and leaders who are doing the hard work of building transformational teams and cultures.👉 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.⭐ Leave us a 5-star review if this episode added value.📲 Share this episode with a coach or leader in your life.

Can you build a high-performance culture if you're not developing yourself as a coach? In this episode of the Coaching Culture Podcast, JP is joined by Tyler and Mark from SAVI Basketball for a powerful conversation on coaching competency, leadership credibility, and why your effectiveness as a coach directly impacts your team culture.

We dig into why "culture eats strategy for breakfast" — but bad coaching makes you want to throw up. If your players can't trust that you'll make them better, no amount of team-building activities will save your culture.

🔑 In this episode, you'll learn:
Why coaching competency is the foundation of team culture
How hypocrisy from leadership silently erodes everything you're building
Why you must be believable as a coach before culture can thrive
The difference between a Level 1 and Level 3 culture
Where to start if your coaching is the ceiling on your team's performance
How to lead yourself first before leading others⚠️ This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation. Part 2 drops March 17th on the Savvy Basketball YouTube channel — link below.📌 LINKS MENTIONED:🏀 SAVI Basketball YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@SAVI-Coaching🎙️ Tyler's episode (Ep. 217) → https://youtu.be/HrkA8g3e8CA?si=Ays8sAvSVzcFpgnx🎙️ Mark's episode (Ep. 189 – Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast) → https://youtu.be/wbOtCjugmbw?si=Rd35ydLvRKMpXgtL👥 Join TOC Coach Community → https://www.skool.com/toccoach🎧 Part 2 on SAVI Basketball (March 17th) → https://www.youtube.com/@SAVI-Coaching⏱️ CHAPTERS:0:00 – Introduction & Guest Overview1:08 – The Big Question: Does Coaching Competency Affect Culture?1:52 – Where to Find Part 2 (Savvy Basketball)3:02 – Mark's Take: When Does Incompetency Become a Culture Problem?4:04 – Level 1 vs. Level 3 Culture Explained5:27 – Tyler: "Bad Coaching Makes You Want to Throw Up"6:09 – The Believability Factor: If Coaches Aren't Credible, Culture Dies7:40 – What Ted Lasso Gets Right About Coaching Competency8:34 – Why Culture Without Craft Is Just Kumbaya9:25 – Standards + Relationships = Performance & Experience10:07 – Hypocrisy Kills Culture From the Top12:17 – The Two Questions Every Player Asks Their Coach13:13 – Where Should a Coach Start to Get Better?14:07 – Bob Starkey & The Power of Becoming World-Class at One Thing16:01 – Mark's Consulting Insight: Peeling Back the Layers16:59 – Start With Standards: Leading Yourself First17:18 – Outro & TOC Coach Community🏆 ABOUT THE COACHING CULTURE PODCASTThe Coaching Culture Podcast helps coaches become better leaders, build stronger team cultures, and grow as coaches. Hosted by JP, with guests from across sports and leadership.#CoachingCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingTips #TeamCulture #HighPerformance #SportsLeadership #BasketballCoaching #CoachDevelopment #SAVIBasketball #CultureBuilding #LeadershipCoaching #AthletesDevelopment #SportsCoaching #WinningCulture #CoachingMindset

Are you coaching your substitutes — or just managing them?
🏆In Part 2 of our conversation with Sammy Lander — specialist subs coach and founder of the Finishers Academy — we go deep into one of the most overlooked leadership challenges in sports: how to coach, develop, and inspire athletes who aren't in the starting lineup.
Sammy brings battle-tested strategies from English professional soccer that every coach and leader can apply — from building bench identity and simulating game scenarios in training, to supporting athletes emotionally after they've been dropped. If you want to build a stronger team culture, reduce playing time issues, and become the kind of leader your athletes never forget, this episode is for you.

🎧 Missed Part 1? Watch it here: https://youtu.be/tetQUcx74Fs?si=RcPiEksrhG4sba4p⚡ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
✅ Why substitutes need their OWN coaching system — not a watered-down version of starter prep
✅ How to use identity (Finishers, Impactors) to transform bench culture and team cohesion
✅ Practical in-game warm-up strategies to keep subs physically ready at any moment
✅ How to have the "you've been dropped" conversation with confidence and care
✅ The Steve Kerr training method that extended his NBA career — and what it teaches every coach
✅ How to build a "substitution union" subculture that players actually buy into
✅ Why players out of the lineup may need MORE coaching attention than starters

⏱️ CHAPTERS:
0:00 – The Steve Kerr substitute method: training for your role
0:45 – Introduction: Sammy Lander, Finishers Academy & Part 2 overview
2:25 – How to build an authentic bench culture (not prescribed behaviors)
5:21 – The goalkeeper coach parallel: why subs deserve specialist coaching
6:33 – Building a sub identity: Finishers, Impactors & the Bench Mob
10:13 – Rebuilding confidence after being dropped & keeping players physically ready
18:00 – The subs coach role: what it looks like & how to implement it on your staff
23:00 – Sammy's key quote: "I'm not here to make you feel good about being a sub"
26:00 – Where to find Sammy & the Finishers Academy🔗

CONNECT WITH SAMMY LANDER:
📘 Book — Finishers: https://www.amazon.com/Finishers-Sammy-Lander/dp/1917380062
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammy-lander-070810144/

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Join the TOC Coach Community (free) or unlock Premium Access — https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about
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📌 ABOUT THE COACHING CULTURE PODCAST
Hosted by JP Nerbun & Nate Sanderson, the Coaching Culture Podcast helps coaches and leaders build better teams, stronger cultures, and more meaningful relationships with their athletes. New episodes every week.
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#CoachingCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #SportsCoaching #TeamCulture #AthleteLeadership #CoachingTips #BenchPlayers #SubstituteCoaching #FinishersAcademy #SammyLander #SportsLeadership #CoachingPodcast #TeamBuilding #PlayerDevelopment #HighPerformance #SoccerCoaching #FootballCoaching #LeadershipPodcast #CultureBuilding #CoachEducation

🤝 Join TOC Coach for FREE — Better Coaches, Better Leaders, Better Culture: https://www.skool.com/toccoachWhat does it really mean for an athlete to matter — not just belong? In this episode, we sit down with Sammy Lander, the world's first Substitution Coach, to explore one of the most overlooked challenges in team sports: developing, empowering, and leading the athletes who aren't in the starting lineup.Sammy breaks down the psychology of the substitute role, why bench players disengage, and what coaches at every level can do right now to build a culture where every player — starter or finisher — is bought in, prepared, and performing.Whether you coach youth sports, high school, college, or at the professional level, this conversation is packed with practical leadership lessons that go far beyond the sideline.📩 Get weekly culture tools delivered to your inbox — subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox💡 In this episode, you'll learn:→ The difference between belonging and mattering — and why it changes everything→ How to have honest, trust-building conversations with athletes who aren't starting→ Why vague language like "go win us the game" quietly destroys bench performance→ What basketball gets right about substitute roles that football still hasn't figured out→ How to use the bench as a mirror for your team's culture→ What the "Substitution Union" is and how to build one with your team📖 Get Sammy's book Finishers:https://www.amazon.com/Finishers-Sammy-Lander/dp/1917380062🐦 Follow Sammy on X:https://x.com/sammy_landerr⏱ Chapters:0:00 – Introduction & Welcome1:45 – Mattering vs. Belonging: What Athletes Really Want6:30 – Giving Substitutes a Process to Follow11:00 – Real Example: A Player Who Went 7 Games Without Playing16:20 – How to Convince a High-Level Athlete to Embrace a Bench Role22:10 – What Basketball Gets Right About Substitute Roles27:00 – Coaching Mistakes: Vague Language & Low Expectations33:15 – The Role of the Substitution Coach Explained39:40 – How Subs Reveal the Truth About Your Team Culture45:00 – What a Great Sideline Looks Like & The Substitution Unioncoaching leadership, athlete development, team culture, sports leadership, how to motivate bench players, substitute coaching, player development, coaching psychology, team building, leadership for coaches, bench players, role players in sports, coaching communication, high performance culture, sports coaching tips#CoachingCulture #SportsLeadership #AthleteDevelopment #CoachingTips #TeamCulture #PlayerDevelopment #SammyLander #Finishers #SportsCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment

📬 Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolboxWhat does it actually take to lead at a high level without sacrificing everything else that matters?In Part 2 of our conversation with Brad Stulberg — performance coach, author, and co-founder of The Growth Equation — we dig into the real framework behind sustainable leadership excellence. If you're a coach, athletic director, team leader, or anyone trying to perform at a high level without burning out, this episode is for you.Brad just released his new book The Way of Excellence and this conversation is full of the mindset shifts, leadership strategies, and practical tools that separate truly great leaders from those who simply grind themselves (and their teams) into the ground.🔑 What You'll Learn in This Episode:Why balance is a myth — and the more powerful concept you should focus on instead (trade-offs)The difference between acute love and aspirational love — a reframe that will change how you lead AND parentHow Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs used intentional presence to build championship cultureWhy discipline and self-compassion must coexist — and how to know which one to lean intoThe problem with trying to copy other people's habits without understanding their contextHow coaches are unintentionally making athletes more fragile — and what to do insteadWhy the path to mastery matters as much as reaching the topThe concept of minimum effective doses — a game-changing framework for high-performers with competing demands📚 Resources & Links:📖 Brad Stulberg's Book — The Way of Excellence: https://www.bradstulberg.com📱 Follow Brad on Instagram: @BradStulberg📝 Betsy Buttrick's Website & Book (Kids These Days): https://betsybuttrick.com🎙️ Part 1 of This Conversation with Brad Stulberg: https://youtu.be/RoKt_fYssJ8?si=IMve1XNEPJByTlYV📬 Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox🔖 CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Teaser: Why "pain is the point" is BS0:11 – Introduction & what to expect in Part 22:30 – What Brad's 3-year-old daughter taught him about presence3:33 – Kids hold you accountable: the "give me your full attention" moment4:32 – Presence during a book launch vs. the creative process6:17 – How coaches can give themselves grace around family presence7:05 – Acute love vs. aspirational love: a reframe for coaching parents9:20 – Greg Popovich & the Spurs: using team dinners to build culture10:21 – Why intentional moments of completion matter for team performance12:29 – Intensity and joy: why they must coexist for sustainable excellence13:52 – The TOC Coach Community (free + premium)14:30 – Why "balance" is a myth & the power of thinking in trade-offs16:51 – Minimum effective doses: how to stay whole while going all-in23:00 – Andre Agassi, Steph Curry & Tiger Woods: different paths to the top26:05 – Restraint as a habit: what Brad is still unlearning as an athlete27:00 – The #1 limiting belief that gets in the way of excellence30:24 – Ultra marathons, Yamamoto & trusting the human experience over analytics30:45 – Reckless vs. fragile: finding the performance sweet spot32:16 – JP's key takeaways + why Brad's book is a must-read for leaders33:00 – Wrap-up & how to find Brad Stulberg's work🏆 About the Coaching Culture Podcast:The Coaching Culture Podcast is hosted by JP Nerbun and Betsy Buttrick. Our mission is simple: help you become a better leader, better coach, and build a better team culture. Every episode features world-class coaches, athletes, performance experts, and thought leaders sharing practical wisdom you can apply immediately.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.⭐ Leave us a 5-star review — it helps more coaches and leaders find this content.📤 Share this episode with a coach or leader in your life who needs to hear it.#CoachingCulture #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformance #TeamCulture #BradStulberg