Win More, Live Better

In this episode of Win More, Live Better, Zach sits down with Coach Matt Doherty, an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Division I head coach for a candid conversation on leadership and the art of rebounding forward.
Matt’s leadership journey began as a starter on the 1982 National Championship team at North Carolina, playing alongside Michael Jordan under the legendary Dean Smith. He later became the Head Coach at Notre Dame and North Carolina, leading UNC to the 2001 ACC Regular Season Championship and earning AP National Coach of the Year honors. 
He also served as head coach at FAU and SMU, and has worked with ESPN, the Indiana Pacers, and the Atlantic 10 Conference. Today, he guides corporations, C-suite leaders, sales executives, and sports coaches to strengthen leadership skills, culture, and team dynamics. Committed to his personal mission to “Learn & Grow” every day, Matt has further sharpened his leadership lens through experiences at the UVA Darden School of Business and The Wharton School.
In this conversation, Matt reflects on the lessons behind his book Rebound, unpacking the realities of public pressure, identity loss, and resilience for coaches. He shares practical leadership frameworks including his “Six Knows” and the organizational triangle of talent, systems, and culture.

Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[4:17] — Rebound Forward
[10:25] — Landmines in Coaching
[15:06] — What I Do vs. Who I Am
[23:49] — The "Six Knows" of Leadership
[35:41] — The Organizational Triangle
[44:27] — Every Leader Needs a Coach
[49:48] — Morning Routines & Coach Yourself First

Learn More About Matt:
You can learn more about Matt and his work on his website here.
Learn More About Zach:
If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/
You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

If the people you lead anonymously graded you today, what would they say? Every year, the NFL Players Association surveys players across the league. While organizations are graded on dozens of categories, head coaches are evaluated on only two components. In this episode, we break down what that means for coaches, executives, and leaders at every level including practical audits you can run immediately to improve buy-in and commitment inside your organization.
Learn More About Zach:
If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/

More choices don't always help us make better decisions. In fact, most of the time, more choices not only hinders our speed with decision-making, it can also hinder our commitment to them. Drawing inspiration from Hick’s Law, Zach explores how cognitive overload can slow reaction time and undermine trust. If you’ve ever seen athletes hesitate under pressure, this episode will invite you to rethink complexity, commitment, and the power of simplicity in execution.
Learn More About Zach:
If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/

When Snoop Dogg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said something that caught people off guard. In this episode, we unpack his lesson on gratitude and why high performers often forget to recognize one critical source of strength. If you’re a coach, athlete, or leader who constantly raises the bar but rarely pauses to acknowledge what you've achieved, this conversation will challenge how you think about gratitude.
Learn More About Zach:
If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/

Most coaches don’t burn out from workload, but rather because they get disconnected from their purpose and why they're coaching in the first place. In this After the Whistle segment, Zach unpacks Tracy Slusser’s perspective on proactively defining your leadership identity before the “house is on fire.” Discover how clarifying your mission, values, and principles can anchor you during chaotic seasons and help you sustain energy, purpose, and impact over the long run. 
Learn More About Zach:
If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/