In Episode 48, we are continuing our fan favorites mini-series with a re-cast of our interview with Cori Close, Head Coach of UCLA Women’s Basketball, who talked with Phil about lessons she learned from her mentor, John Wooden, her personal “Why,” what a broom and a shovel have to do with leadership, her Close Conversations, healthy conflict, gratitude, Championship Level Habits, doing the next right thing, and how work done in the dark gets revealed in the light. Specifically, Coach Close discusses:

• Issues with specialization in one sport too early (2:52)
• How she developed her passion for soccer, basketball, and leadership, and how she got to be where she is today (4:02)
• Some lessons she learned while being mentored by the incomparable, John Wooden (8:56)
• Her personal “Why” and life mission, and how it informs her leadership (12:40)
• What are the things from sports that will stay with us for our whole life (14:44)
• Why she has a broom and a shovel in her office (18:55)
• How we can find and what we can learn from her Close Conversations on social media (21:44)
• Why healthy conflict and tension is necessary for any healthy team (24:34)
• A “have-to” vs. “get-to” mentality and why it matters (32:54)
• Creating and reaching Championship Level Habits (39:16)
• Doing the next right thing in the midst of the wrestle and getting back to neutral (45:57)
• What she wants her players to know when they leave her program (53:16)
• What she has learned directly from basketball (and soccer) that she has used in her life and leadership outside the game(s) (54:41)
• How the work done in the dark gets revealed in the light (58:34)
• Her book and podcast recommendations (1:00:44)

Resources and Links from this Episode

• Coach Close on IG & Twitter (@coachcoriclose), and FB (Cori Close)
• Uncut Video of the Episode
• HSEL Facebook Group
• Phil and HSEL on Clubhouse -- @phildarke
• Ted Lasso (Apple TV)
• Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life, by James Kerr
• The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, by Stephen R. Covey
• Chop Wood, Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great, by Joshua Medcalf
• Burn Your Goals: The Counter Cultural Approach to Achieving Your Greatest Potential, by Joshua Medcalf
• The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else, by Patrick Lencioni
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, by Patrick Lencioni
• The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation, by Miles McPherson
• “Two Perspectives on Abortion,” Think Orphan Podcast, Episode 110
• In Pursuit of Orphan Excellence: My Kids, Your Kids, Our Kids, by Philip Darke and Keith McFarland, et. al
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones, by James Clear
• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered, by Lisa Terkeurst
• It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life, by Trever Moawad
• Win in the Dark, by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin
• The Focus 3 Podcast
• The Relentless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World, by John Mark Comer
• Fight Hustle, End Hurry Podcast with John Mark Comer and Jefferson Bethke