Contacts Coaching Podcast

Five years after her first appearance, Phillips Exeter Academy head girls lacrosse coach and history department chair Alexa Caldwell shares her background in teaching and coaching, her transition from coaching both girls soccer and lacrosse to focusing on lacrosse, and how independent schools hire coaches through campus candidates and national searches while valuing the “dorm, coach, teach” model. She discusses why she believes the model is sustainable, how teaching and coaching skills transfer into department leadership, and how being on campus helps her understand students’ day-to-day experience. Caldwell addresses program culture, humility, and “earned, not given,” recruiting realities and admissions limits, and the challenges of multi-sport participation, workload, and captain’s practices. She also explains methods for valuing roles beyond scoring and reflects on changing her approach to proactive communication with a non-starting captain.

00:00 Welcome Back and Updates

00:39 Coach Background Recap

01:58 How Coaching Roles Shift

03:44 Triple Threat Hiring Debate

06:59 Teaching Meets Coaching

14:08 Leading Adults as Chair

17:27 League Strengths and Cycles

21:37 Recruiting Reality Check

23:48 Sharing Multi Sport Athletes

28:05 Workload Policies and PE Options

32:50 Managing Overworked Kids

33:03 Soccer Versus Basketball Load

34:28 Recruiting Multi Sport Athletes

36:07 Track Double Dipping Debate

38:05 Coaching Values That Transfer

40:16 Teaching Roles And Shot Math

45:38 Rewarding Hustle With Stats

48:11 No Shot Clock Frustrations

49:55 Parenthood Changes Coaching

52:32 Changing Mind On Captains

55:05 Proactive Player Conversations

59:41 Closing Thoughts And Farewell

Justin welcomes back Northern California coach Brian Katz for a third podcast episode to discuss Katz’s second book, “It’s Not About The Ball: A Modern Basketball Story,” and his views on today’s basketball and college sports landscape. Katz shares what he’s been doing since retiring, including local March Madness analysis, and emphasizes four keys to winning: foul line, three-point line, rebounding, and turnovers. He explains rebounding drills (including taping rims) and the “go or get back” approach learned from elite rebounding coaches. Katz argues coaching and teaching are being devalued amid NIL, transfers, and lack of enforceable rules, and says most athletes chase “fool’s gold” at the expense of education. He offers candid advice on recruiting realities, parents and trainers, player development, and why winning and player growth can coexist.

00:00 Coach Katz Returns

00:49 Staying Involved Post Coaching

01:42 March Madness Trends

02:38 Four Keys To Winning

05:06 Quick Career Recap

05:54 Rebounding Secret Sauce

08:02 Go Or Get Back

10:23 Retirement To Writing

10:58 NIL And Devalued Education

13:54 NCAA Toothless Wild West

16:01 Portal Chaos And Integrity

19:27 Parents Ego And Misinformation

22:51 Coaches Cant Speak Freely

26:22 Handling Parents And Transfers

29:55 Owning The Desire To Win

33:54 Recruiting Reality Check

36:14 Coaches Work 24 7

38:08 Winning Over Stats

43:20 Positions And Intangibles

45:53 Money Mindset Shift

47:52 Do You Need College

48:57 Versatility Over Hype

50:42 Confidence Through Hardship

54:46 Winning Habits Get Recruited

01:01:13 Watch Off The Ball

01:02:49 What Recruiting Really Means

01:07:08 Honesty With Players

01:11:03 Unsexy Work Gets Better

01:17:47 Stop Holding Kids Back

01:23:59 Winning And Life Lessons

01:30:46 Why He Wrote The Book

01:34:58 Final Thoughts On Coaching

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SdsFWmGMvSYCD5ZCk4XGa?si=utX7ay7QQvexLSG3p863JA&utm_source=copy-link

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AhQyvmTiC08Ub0cTy11AA?si=_mJLC5IcQ2e61-vDrHmGvg&utm_source=copy-link

Book Link: https://a.co/d/09zEDA6v

Blake Johnson, athletic director at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in Phoenix, recounts how a lifelong love of sports led him from playing multiple sports through college into coaching and athletic administration. He describes starting as a substitute teacher in Peoria, Illinois, cold-approaching district AD AJ Guyton to become his assistant for six years, building elementary and middle school sports programs across dozens of schools, and coaching at Peoria High as a freshman head coach while his district responsibilities expanded. Johnson explains his 2024–25 move into the independent school space after a LinkedIn application and a rigorous interview process, the shift from district to site-based demands, working with parents amid heavy club-sport schedules, and emphasizing mission fit, documentation, and systems. He also discusses lessons from NBA-related experiences, building a new professional network in Phoenix, and a growing focus on performance psychology and mindset.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

00:33 Sports Roots in Peoria

01:53 First Coaching Sparks

03:11 Breaking Into District AD

04:37 Building Youth Programs

05:41 Peoria High Coaching Era

06:28 Expanding Middle School Oversight

08:24 Cold Approach Confidence

10:12 Subbing as Career Hack

11:34 From Assistant to Head Coach

14:00 District vs Site Leadership

15:34 Landing at All Saints

17:59 Independent School Hiring Fit

21:12 Sports Offerings and Growth

22:18 League Alignment Questions

23:54 Middle School Baseball Softball

25:21 Club Sports Pressure

31:05 Specialization And Leadership

32:29 Choosing The Right Program

33:48 NBA Lessons Applied

36:42 Building A New Network

41:14 Vulnerability And Asking Help

43:16 Expanding Programs Carefully

45:19 Mindset Performance Psychology

46:24 Books Resources And Wrap

On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews James O’Brien, regional director of the Florida Coaches Coalition and girls flag football coach at Western High School in Broward County. O’Brien shares his path from playing football (including walking on at the University of Miami in 1995) to working in software, converting to Christianity, and moving into teaching and coaching in 2007 to impact younger people. He explains Florida’s severe underpayment of coaches, high turnover, and the Coalition’s legislative effort that helped pass SB538, which removed barriers preventing booster clubs from funding coaches; implementation is now county-by-county. The conversation also covers head coaching challenges beyond X’s and O’s—culture, accountability, managing parents and bureaucracy, adapting systems to available talent, building team bonding, and coaching people first while using football as a tool.

00:00 Meet Coach James

00:43 From Player to Teacher

02:18 Florida Coaches Coalition

05:26 California Pay Comparison

08:06 Minimum Wage Proposal

10:09 Resources and Momentum

11:12 Coaching Reality Check

12:38 Building an Offense

13:45 Switch to Flag Football

15:04 Culture Over Xs and Os

16:41 Managing Parents and Paperwork

18:15 Adversity as a Coach

19:10 Consistency and Standards

19:49 Culture Over Corners

20:27 Season Flies By

21:09 Compete With Yourself

22:22 Walk On Mindset

23:44 Stealing From Other Sports

26:03 Bonding Builds Champions

28:48 Coach Stress And Growth

33:45 Evolving The System

34:59 Love People First

37:59 Practice As Sanctuary

38:45 Final Thanks And Wrap

The episode features the Contacts Coaching Podcast host interviewing retired athletic director and podcast host Dr. Jake Von Scherrer about his path from growing up in Oregon and playing small-college football/track to a 41-year career in education, coaching, and athletic administration, including launching athletics at the Harker School in San Jose and later serving in Florida, where he and his wife finished their careers and retired six years ago. Von Scherrer explains how his COVID-era Florida association presidency led to Zoom webinars, then podcasting, and ultimately his book, The Athletic Director’s Toolbox. Key takeaways he wishes he had earlier include better listening, building relationships, and networking, plus practical strategies for handling parent concerns by calling quickly, partnering with parents, and relying on clear policies. He discusses coaching development, student-athlete leadership teams at Maclay School, small-school roster realities, and changing his view on year-round sports when it’s driven by the student’s passion.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:22 Jake’s Coaching Journey

02:08 Building Harker Athletics

03:09 Roots in Oregon

03:59 Podcast and Book Origins

08:52 Top Tools for ADs

11:54 Listening and Empathy

14:26 Handling Parent Conflicts

18:27 Relationship Building

22:16 Student Athlete Leadership

25:32 Networking Elevator Pitch

27:15 Networking in Action

28:49 Building Your Bench

29:42 Building Staff Pipelines

30:53 Delegating Modern AD Roles

31:29 Creating Event Support Positions

32:44 Networking as an Outsider

33:54 Career Stops and Setbacks

37:13 Mentors and Saying Yes

41:04 Small School Football Realities

46:00 Managing Multi Sport Athletes

48:05 Leading With Service

51:43 Changing Minds on Specialization

54:10 Supporting Tough Family Choices

55:44 Closing and Contact Info

 [email protected]

305-218-1325

Justin interviews Coach Bill Taylor, former NAIA and Division I cross country/track coach and author of a sports conflict management book. Taylor recounts becoming a runner in high school, starting a college program from scratch at Northwest University, winning an NAIA national championship after learning to refocus from results to process, then moving to Belmont and later transforming Lipscomb with 11 conference titles and culture-building initiatives. A major team conflict at Lipscomb—and administrative missteps that escalated it—led him to earn a master’s in conflict management and write a shorter, practical book to fill the sports-specific resource gap. He outlines five core tools: managing emotion, effective communication and active listening, identifying “below the line” interests, creating win-win solutions, and building trust through follow-through, plus the value of clear conflict policies and avoiding email/text for personal issues.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:46 Bill Taylor Coaching Origin Story

02:03 Starting a College Program

02:45 Chasing and Winning Nationals

03:09 Division I Leap to Lipscomb

04:14 Team Conflict Sparks New Path

06:18 COVID Pivot and Writing Book

09:32 Lessons From Early Head Coaching

11:18 Process Over Results Mindset

16:01 Assistant Coach Perspective

17:59 Building Athlete Belief

21:28 Why Conflict Matters

24:00 Avoiding Conflict Backfires

29:33 Introducing Conflict Tools

30:18 Rewriting the Book

30:46 Skill One Emotion Control

34:51 Skill Two Better Communication

35:14 Listening and Nonverbal Cues

38:02 Avoiding Text and Email

40:33 Skill Three Below the Line

44:52 Skill Four Creative Win Win

48:46 Skill Five Trust Follow Through

51:29 Relationships and Team Culture

54:42 Changing Mind and Conflict Policy

57:40 Where to Find the Book

58:35 Final Thanks and Wrap

https://www.sportsconflictlab.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sports_conflict_lab/

https://x.com/Sports_Conflict

https://www.amazon.ca/Managing-Sports-Conflict-Bill-Taylor/dp/B0G2ZJT4Q5

In this episode, derivatives trader and first-time author Jeff Everson discusses his debut novel, The Glue Guy, and how his experience as a Division III backup offensive lineman at Middlebury shaped the book’s themes of unseen contributions, team roles, and pure love of competition. He explains why he wrote a hockey-centered story despite not playing hockey, how concepts like the secondary assist and locker-room “unofficial hierarchies” reveal invisible value, and why bus rides and locker-room time build culture more than the spotlight moments. Everson connects trading-desk dynamics to athletics—competition, preparation, analytics, and teammate support—while stressing that analytics provide a map but humans still drive outcomes. He also shares a mindset shift: being indispensable isn’t the highest virtue; building systems that work without you is.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:31 Sports to Trading Journey

03:14 Middlebury and Team Roles

07:11 Why Write Hockey

09:08 Secondary Assist Metaphor

12:54 Bus Rides Build Culture

16:39 Locker Room Hierarchy

20:13 Trading Desk Locker Room

22:36 Analytics for Coaches

28:26 Measuring Intangibles

31:50 Empowering the Glue Guy

34:27 Making the Book Accessible

37:11 Changed Mind on Indispensable

39:30 Wrap Up and Where to Buy

On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews Justin Beck, assistant coach at UC San Diego, about his path from growing up around baseball with his father Bob Beck, to playing at San José State, transferring to UCSD, and moving into coaching at UCSD, Cal Poly Pomona, and back to UCSD. Beck describes the difficult transition from coaching former teammates, lessons learned from playing for his dad, and how modern tools like True Media and PitchCom have changed positioning, scouting, and in-game communication. He discusses how shifting, increased pitching “stuff,” and approach changes affect hitting, why coaches must develop every player on the roster, and how they create live reps for non-starters. Beck critiques the youth sports travel/showcase economy, urges multi-sport participation and downtime, and explains how UCSD evaluates recruits’ intangibles and character. He closes with how he challenges his own beliefs, including rethinking fastball-focused hitting.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:18 Justin Beck Origin Story

01:32 College Stops and Coaching Path

04:37 Player to Coach Whiplash

08:32 Should New Coaches Leave

11:21 Playing for Dad Lessons

16:13 Shifts and Positioning Analytics

18:55 PitchCom and Dugout Rules

23:37 Modern Hitting and Strikeouts

27:56 Coaching Values Across Programs

31:18 Staying Game Ready

32:23 Live Reps After Weekends

33:48 Sandlot Culture Checks

34:38 Youth Sports Money Trap

40:08 Play Multiple Sports

46:18 Exposure Before Ready

50:52 Showcase Metrics Noise

53:37 Recruiting Intangibles

57:29 Outlets Beyond Baseball

59:00 Changing Your Mind

On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, coach John Seavey discusses his path from playing basketball to becoming a student manager at the University of Arizona under Sean Miller, a pivotal experience that led him into coaching, then staying as a GA to earn his master’s degree. He followed associate head coach Joe Pasternack to UC Santa Barbara (2017–2022), where he learned organizational discipline, relationship-building, fundraising, and navigating institutional politics after a long-tenured coach. Seavey then moved to Cal State Monterey Bay under Isaac Williams, gaining major on-court growth by running the defense, learning communication, tactical adjustments, and roster construction through mistakes and mentorship. He joined DJ Broome at Cal Poly Humboldt, completed a strong first season, and was promoted to associate head coach, emphasizing identity, community investment, process-driven improvement, effort evaluation, and guiding players to answers through questions.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:30 John Seavey Coaching Origin

01:14 Student Manager Pathway

02:40 Arizona to Santa Barbara Move

03:09 Monterey Bay Learning Curve

04:32 Humboldt Transition and Promotion

05:33 Manager Versus Ops Restrictions

08:00 Following a Legend at UCSB

11:16 Politics and Admin Relationships

14:36 Humboldt Relationship Blueprint

16:21 Mistakes That Built a Coach

20:04 Defense Coordinator by Fire

22:47 Letting Assistants Own Schemes

25:46 Roster Construction and Fit

29:04 Recruiting Pipelines and Trends

31:46 Beyond Basketball Differences

32:22 Arizona Pro Mindset

33:50 UCSB Building a Program

35:04 Division II Reality Check

35:39 Carryover Coaching Lessons

40:20 Community Investment Culture

42:05 Fundraising Relentless Yes

46:51 Sustaining Winning Identity

52:33 Process Over Scoreboard

56:16 Measuring Effort on Film

59:31 Guide Players to Answers

01:02:40 Patience and Long Game

01:05:15 Closing Coastline Banter

On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews Jeffrey Dixon, athletic director at River Valley High School outside Pittsburgh, about his path from an average high school athlete to teacher, multi-sport coach, and AD since 2021 amid a district merger and rebrand. Dixon explains how River Valley built an indoor track program without its own facility, traveling to college sites while indoor remains PTFCA-sponsored rather than PIAA-sanctioned due to limited venues. They discuss the shift away from volunteering in coaching, strategies for staffing shortages through alumni and cross-sport hires, and communication systems that build accountability. Dixon shares culture lessons he’s borrowed from other coaches, ways to reduce subjectivity with data and video, concerns about specialization and burnout, the value of multi-sport participation, and how his mindset has evolved from chasing wins to prioritizing relationships and learning from failure.

Substack: https://gdthead.substack.com/

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:50 Coach Dixon’s Coaching Journey

04:34 Building an Indoor Track Program

08:29 District Merger and School Landscape

11:35 Football Culture and Small-School Numbers

14:19 Volunteering vs Paid Coaching Today

20:01 Creative Staffing and Recruiting Helpers

22:13 Stealing Great Ideas From Other Coaches

26:00 Inbox Rules and Boundaries

27:39 Email Text Call Hierarchy

29:33 Overcommunicating With Parents

31:10 One Platform for Everything

32:09 Culture Builders in Programs

35:19 Making Subjective Sports Fair

39:38 Specialization and Travel Ball

48:48 Multi Sport and Real Development

50:49 Handling Insults as a Leader

53:16 Changing Minds on Winning

57:28 Wrap Up and Next Projects

Twitter: @RVTFXCCoach

Substack: @geoffdixon185810

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-dixon-caa-b69655245

Podcast Instagram: @exchangezonepodcast