Beyond Coaching: An Impactful Coaching Project Podcast

In Part 2, we dig deeper into how the U.S. Naval Academy develops ethical, resilient leaders—and how those same lessons apply to coaching. Jim breaks down the Academy’s leadership lab, the sophomore ethics course, and the “2 for 7” contract that defines a midshipman’s commitment.

We also talk about his new book, Crucibles—what inspired it, the diverse organizations studied (from NASA to the Gurkhas to the Mafia), and what modern teams and coaches can learn from how these groups design challenges that forge true belonging and purpose.

Topics

• The Academy as a “leadership laboratory”
• Sophomore ethics: Ethical & Moral Reasoning for the Naval Leader
• “2 for 7” commitment and the cost of service
• Moral stress tests: real-world ethical scenarios
• Time management and “the alligator closest to the boat”
• Jim’s new book Crucibles — lessons from NASA, Gurkhas, Mafia, and more
• The fine line between initiation and hazing
• Designing crucibles that build learning organizations (five elements)
• Why standards—not comfort—should define leadership
• Lightning round: Season of Life, standards > stats, defining success, early mornings

Five takeaways for coaches

1. Teach ethics like a skill. Pressure-test decision-making.
2. Lead with standards. Stop chasing external validation.
3. Design your crucible. If it doesn’t serve growth, it’s hazing.
4. Master time. Handle “the alligator closest to the boat.”
5. Build a learning culture. Focus on mastery, challenge, culture, expertise, and strategy.

Resources mentioned

• Crucibles — Jim McNeil & Eric Smith (audiobook available)
• Season of Life — Jeffrey Marx

Pull quotes

• “If you can’t tie a tradition to a positive result, it’s hazing.”
• “Crucibles define who belongs—not by exclusion, but by shared purpose.”
• “You can’t lead others unless you know yourself.”
• “Standards—not external judges—have to drive us.”
• “Time management is the skill: handle the alligator closest to the boat.”

Listen & links

• Apple Podcasts: Beyond Coaching on Apple
• Spotify: Beyond Coaching on Spotify
• Website: impactfulcoachingproject.com

Please review! In your review, tell us your biggest takeaway from this episode!

This special Best of September edition of Beyond Coaching brings together some of the most eye-opening and practical conversations we’ve had this month. From the sidelines of youth sports to the leadership labs of the Naval Academy, each guest shared powerful stories and truths that speak directly to the challenges coaches and leaders face every day.

We kick things off with Mitch Hull of the 3D Institute, who challenges how we think about parents in youth sports. Then, Jamy Bechler joins us with a dose of real-world coaching leadership that bridges theory and the chaos of daily decisions. And finally, Jim McNeil from the U.S. Naval Academy offers a look inside how future leaders are forged—not just through wins, but through failure.

[1:16] – Are parents the problem—or just a symptom? Mitch Hull reframes the youth sports narrative.

[4:19] – Playing time is king: What most parent complaints are really about—and why it matters.

[6:00] – Why 70% of kids quit sports before high school. It's not about the scoreboard—it’s about what we model.

[8:16] – “Simple, not easy”: Jamy Bechler on how leadership breaks down when the day gets messy.

[10:51] – Twelve walk in, not two: A surprise team meeting tests Jamy’s leadership approach in real time.

[14:08] – The Naval Academy as a leadership lab: Jim McNeil on how midshipmen judge adults by their leadership.

[17:24] – Permission to fail: Why the Academy pushes high achievers to fail early, reflect deeply, and grow fast.

• Mitch Hull – 3D Institute
• Jamy Bechler – jamybechler.com
• Jim McNeal – Author of Crucibles
• Learn more at impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com

If this episode challenged or inspired you, I’d love it if you’d share it with another coach, leader, or parent. Be sure to rate, review, and follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode. Thanks for being part of the Impactful Coaching Project!

In this first half of my conversation with Jim McNeal, we dive deep into what it means to lead, fail, and mentor in one of the toughest leadership pipelines in the world: the U.S. Naval Academy. Jim, a Naval Academy alum turned coach, mentor, and author, shares how he coaches high school and collegiate athletes, why failure is intentionally built into the Academy’s system, and how he guides students to own responsibility instead of blaming external circumstances.

We also unpack how coaching high school differs from coaching at the college level in terms of maturity, mindset, and purpose — and why the Academy functions like a leadership laboratory, where every interaction matters. The pressure is intentional. The lessons are real. And failure is expected — as long as you learn from it.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] – Jim’s background: Naval Academy grad, Supply Corps officer, journey into coaching & mentoring

[08:05] – Differences between coaching high school vs. college athletes

[12:31] – Why the Naval Academy functions as a leadership laboratory

[15:38] – The intentional role of failure in the Academy’s growth model

[19:49] – Helping high achievers internalize responsibility instead of blame

[24:43] – The importance of loving the process over focusing only on outcomes

[29:21] – How coaching generational shifts—and building trust—has (or hasn’t) changed over time

🔗 Links & Resources

• Crucibles by Jim McNeil & J. Eric Smith
• Beyond Coaching Podcast: beyondcoaching.alitu.com
• Impactful Coaching Project: impactfulcoachingproject.com

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for tuning in to Part 1 of my conversation with Jim McNeil. In Part 2, we’ll dig into his new book Crucibles, pull out lessons for coaches and leaders, and explore what it really takes to lead through adversity.

If you enjoyed the episode, make sure to follow, rate, and review the show, and share it with a fellow coach or leader who needs to hear it. In your review, put your favorite part of this episode!

“Simple Isn't Easy"

Guest: Jamy Bechler – Leadership Consultant, Former Coach & AD, Host of Success Is a Choice Podcast

In this episode of Beyond Coaching, Rob sits down with Jamy Bechler—someone who's done it all: NAIA coach, high school AD, college interim AD, and now a full-time leadership consultant working with athletic departments around the country. Together they dive into the realities behind the leadership buzzwords.

Highlights Include:

• What it’s really like to step back into the AD chair after consulting from a distance
• The myth of the “perfect plan” and how Jamy handled a surprise full-team meeting
• Why leadership is simple, but not easy—especially when emotions are high
• A candid look at coachability and the lack of it—even among experienced coaches
• The impact of changing environments vs. changing kids (hint: the onus is still on us)
• Practical strategies for hiring when you don’t know the sport inside and out
• Jamy’s take on how responsibility and blame get confused in athletic leadership
• Why “Success Is a Choice” still matters—and how Jamy stole it from Rick Pitino

This conversation is packed with real-world application, tough truths, and encouragement for coaches navigating today’s complex athletic landscape. Whether you’re a young coach or a seasoned AD, this episode will challenge and equip you.

Resources Mentioned:

• Success Is a Choice by Rick Pitino
• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty by Harvey Mackay
• Coach Wooden and Me by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Follow Jamy Bechler:

Twitter/X: @CoachBechler

Website: www.JamyBechler.com

In this episode, Rob welcomes back Mitch Hull for a honest conversation about how to fix youth sports. They explore the root causes of parent conflict, why playing time dominates every sideline conversation, and what coaches and athletic leaders can actually do to shift the culture. From parent meetings to post-game behavior, Mitch shares practical, field-tested advice on how to create transformational environments rooted in purpose—not pressure.

This episode is for anyone who’s tired of the noise around youth sports and ready to do something about it.

• Are parents the disease or the symptom?
• Why every conflict eventually comes down to playing time
• How to run a parent meeting that sets the tone
• Why kids quit—and how coaches and parents unintentionally push them away
• What it means to “coach the experience,” not just the outcome
• Simple tools to humanize the game and build real connection

• Parents judge what they see, and if coaches don’t show value beyond playing time, that’s all parents will care about.
• Playing time is finite—so give parents something infinite to hold onto: their child’s experience, character, and growth.
• We can’t wait for others to fix youth sports. Coaches must lead—early, often, and intentionally.
• Small, consistent moments of connection (thanking officials, affirming opponents, celebrating effort) transform culture more than any policy ever will.
• The best programs teach kids how to respond to adversity—not avoid it.

• Build trust early: share your “why” with parents and athletes
• Train coaches to lead, not just manage
• Normalize mistakes and model healthy response to pressure
• Reinforce values through routines (trash pickup, handshakes, put-ups)

• 🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://beyondcoaching.alitu.com
• 📰 Coaching insights, articles, and tools: https://impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com
• 📚 Books:
• • Coaching and Leading the 21st Century Athlete
• • Athletic Department Leadership and Developing Coaches
• Available now on Amazon.

In this special Best of edition, we revisit some of the most meaningful conversations from August on Beyond Coaching. These highlights capture the real work of coaching—leading people, shaping environments, and creating cultures that last.

• Jason Schmidt on Early Coaching Lessons
• Jason reflects on stepping into a head coaching role at a young age, learning the hard truth that leadership isn’t about the title—it’s about serving athletes where they are.
• Balancing Care and Competitiveness
• Jason unpacks one of coaching’s hardest tensions: building a culture of care while still demanding competitiveness. He explains his 80/20 roster philosophy and how transformation happens when competitiveness and culture coexist.
• Generation Z and Coaching Today
• Jason shares insights on working with Gen Z athletes—why they test everything, how attention spans are shaped by technology, and why intentional systems of care and relational leadership matter more than ever.
• The Messiah Method and Creating Environments
• Rob and Dustin dive into The Messiah Method, discussing why the coach’s primary role is to create an environment where athletes can grow and thrive. They explore how environment becomes culture, why nothing should be left to chance, and what daily habits give programs meaning beyond wins and losses.

• impactfulcoachingproject.com
• impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com

Keep an eye out for the upcoming Impactful Coaching Project Online Coaching Class—a new way to develop as a coach through our proven frameworks, resources, and conversations.

In this episode of the Beyond Coaching podcast, host Rob Ramseyer talks with Jayson Schmidt — a branding consultant for college athletic departments and a former Division II women’s lacrosse head coach — about the realities of leading in today’s sports landscape.

Jayson’s journey took him from corporate marketing into coaching, where he quickly learned that leadership is less about titles and more about intentional relationships. From earning just $5,000 as a part-time assistant to running his own consulting business, Jayson has built his career on understanding people, serving them well, and creating cultures that balance competition with care.

1. Lessons from the Early Coaching Years

Jayson shares what he “didn’t know he didn’t know” when stepping into leadership as a 23-year-old coach. He talks about the difference between thinking you understand servant leadership and truly living it, especially when coaching former teammates.

2. Balancing Relationships and Winning

How do you recruit athletes who not only fit your culture but also bring the competitive edge needed to win? Jayson explains the “80/20 rule” for roster makeup, how to handle strong personalities, and why some of his most meaningful relationships came from players in that 20%.

3. Leading Generation Z

Jayson works daily on recruiting, marketing to, and leading Gen Z student-athletes. He offers insights on what’s similar across generations (youthful skepticism, testing boundaries) and what’s different (shorter attention spans, higher expectations for intentional connection).

4. Building Systems of Care

From setting phone reminders to reach out to athletes, to keeping an open-door policy, to adopting a “double exclamation” text system for urgent needs, Jayson shares practical ways to make players feel seen, valued, and supported.

5. Redefining Toughness in Sports

Drawing from Do Hard Things and his own coaching experience, Jayson breaks down the three pillars of team toughness:

• Psychological safety — an environment where players can mess up without fear of exclusion.
• Opportunities to get better — skilled coaching and intentional development.
• Shared adversity — going through hard things together, on and off the field, and maintaining relationships through them.

• “This isn’t about you. This was never about you.”
• “The moments that create toughness aren’t always on the field; they’re in the hardest moments of life, when people come around you.”

This episode is for:

• Coaches looking to deepen relationships while staying competitive
• Athletic directors seeking cultural alignment in recruiting
• Leaders of Generation Z in athletics, education, or business
• Anyone interested in intentional leadership and team culture

• Connect with Jayson Schmidt: https://www.hellopreseason.com/brandingforathletics
• Book: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan & Dr. Benjamin Hardy
• Learn more about the Impactful Coaching Project: impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com
• Visit us at: impactfulcoachingproject.com
• Subscribe on Substack: impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com

This Best of July episode highlights the most impactful moments from recent conversations on Beyond Coaching. The theme that emerged again and again: congruence. Luke Jones of Reclaimed Today reframes authenticity as the alignment between what we say and how we live—something Gen Z athletes are craving more than ever.

We also revisit core pillars of the Impactful Coaching Project: competence and care. From filtering meaningful content in a noisy world to building real systems of care for your team, this episode offers practical takeaways for any coach committed to leading well.

Presented by:

The Impactful Coaching Project, in partnership with Friends University. We develop coaches who coach the whole person.

For more, visit:

impactfulcoachingproject.com

impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com

In this episode, Rob and Dustin dive into The Messiah Method—a book that explores how Messiah College built one of the most dominant college soccer programs from 2000 to 2010. But this isn’t just about winning. It’s about the why behind the success: building an intentional environment where athletes grow, thrive, and represent something greater than themselves.

Key Themes:

• Environment > Scoreboard – What makes your program worth being part of if you take away the scoreboard? For Messiah, it was all about culture, intentionality, and relationships.
• Culture Is Built, Not Hoped For – Every program has a culture. The question is whether you’re shaping it on purpose. Great programs are intentional about how they do what they do.
• Systems of Care – Tied into the "3 C’s" framework from Rob and Dustin’s work, this episode emphasizes that great environments are supported by systems—particularly systems of care that reinforce team values.
• Relationships Drive Motivation – Their own data shows that teammates and family are the top motivators for student-athletes, not just coaches. Coaches have to build environments where these relationships can flourish.
• The Recruiting Test – If a recruit's parent observed your team for a week, what would they say you value most? That’s your real identity.

Quote of the Episode:

"Take away the scoreboard—what still makes your program worth being part of?"

Coach Reflection Questions:

• What do your daily habits say about your team culture?
• Are you building something that will last beyond one season?
• Do your players live out your values—or just hear about them?

Beyond Coaching is a podcast developed by the Impactful Coaching Project in partnership with Friends University. We help coaches develop the whole person and lead the 21st century athlete with clarity and purpose.

For more resources, articles, and training:

Website: impactfulcoachingproject.com

Substack: impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com

In this episode, we dive into Congruency Coaching for Gen Z Athletes as Rob speaks with Luke Jones, Partnership Liaison for Reclaim Today—a division of Our Daily Bread Ministries focused on engaging millennials and Gen Z. Luke shares valuable insights into the challenges Gen Z faces, including information overload, skepticism towards authority, and their deep craving for authenticity.

Together, they explore how coaches and leaders can engage Gen Z athletes more meaningfully through techniques like reverse coaching, competence, and the power of honest apology. Discover how 'the ministry of presence' can help connect young people with God in ordinary moments, potentially key for both spiritual and identity formation. Key topics include the importance of authenticity, navigating information overload, building trust, and the challenges of mobilizing Gen Z from awareness to action. Listen in to learn how to foster genuine relationships while coaching the whole person in a holistic approach.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why authenticity and congruency matter deeply to Gen Z
• Navigating the information overload: competence vs. laziness
• Reverse coaching: mutual learning between athletes and coaches
• Why Gen Z may be skeptical of authority—but still deeply hungry for mentorship
• Coaching moments that build (or break) trust and character
• Identity and sport: why coaches must help athletes discompartmentalize
• The challenge of mobilizing Gen Z from awareness to action
• How presence, silence, and vulnerability build relationships

Notable Quotes:

• “Authenticity is huge. To miss that is to miss the heart of the student and the heart of the athlete.”
• “We’ve been trained in the arts of filtering. So we recognize filters easily.”
• “The life of a disciple is a planned, intentional life. And coaching can mirror that.”
• “Don’t get mad at Gen Z. Get busy with them.” —Tim Elmore (via Luke)

Resources Mentioned:

• Reclaim Today: reclaimtoday.org
• Books: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Renovation of the Heart, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Celebration of Discipline

Connect with Luke: [email protected]

Reach out via reclaimtoday.org

The Impactful Coaching Project (ICP) seeks to develop coaches that coach the whole person. ICP is the thought leader in coaching the 21st century athlete and produces training, information, and research to help coaches develop. For more information, check out https://impactfulcoachingproject.substack.com/ or contact us at [email protected].