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Amy Christensen is the first guest that Jared recruited for the podcast and he could not have picked a better one. Amy was a first generation college student, but she also had some great examples as parents. Amy gives her perspective on family dynamics and the fact that parents don't need to understand their kids to support them. Home is supposed to be a place to recover from the world around our children but it is also important to remember that kids might be uncomfortable, not unsafe.  

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Justin Clymo graduated from Stevenson School in Pebble Beach California, won a national championship while coaching at UC Davis, but he knew he belonged at the high school level and he’s now back at his alma mater impacting the next generation. Coach Clymo has coached a variety of sports at different schools over his 24 years in education, but if you want to connect with him you better be willing to travel to Pebble Beach. His office overlooks the 18th green at Spy Glass, one of the most beautiful places on earth, but this guy does not take his role for granted. Athletics and coaching is his medium, but Coach Clymo’s most enduring quality is his straight up honesty. He is developing people, not athletes, and it is quite clear that he is very successful. Don’t miss this episode because he talks about avoiding coaching his own kids, but maintains that the people and creating lasting “contacts” is the most important thing to him.

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Coach Cheryl Holden talks about her journey from a small town in Washington to Vice-President at Columbia Basin College. We discuss the importance of the process and not the outcome as well as what a “normal coach” should look like. If we expect others to act or perform in a certain way, we better provide the appropriate opportunities. If we want more women to coach, then we need to think about our policies and procedures such as a “child friendly campus.” Coach Holden has been extremely successful on the court, by the way the court is named after her, but she doesn’t even know what her win loss record is because it doesn’t matter. What matters is if she is invited to the wedding.

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Courtney Jackson learned to love the game of basketball as a young kid and his passion for the game took him to Sonoma State University, then to the Napa Valley where he coached the boy’s basketball team at the Hanna Academy. Eventually this led to his current position at Principal, but his true impact is in the daily lives of those who need him most. Courtney is exactly what we hope our teachers and coaches are for our own kids, a beacon of light and an example of how to do things the right way. No one is making a bigger impact in a more difficult scenario than he is. If you think you have it tough, be prepared to have your point of view challenged. Courtney’s story will make you think about how you can be better.

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Rich Shayewitz is and will always be associated with Sonoma State University, but a few short months ago, in the middle of the season as the head men’s basketball coach he was told the college was going to cut all athletics at the end of the season. Listen to how Coach Shayewitz attempted to handle the rest of the season and he is still hard on himself for maybe not doing things perfectly, spoken like a true coach. Rich is one of the good guys. He works hard daily to be a great husband, father and coach. This conversation is a glimpse into his past and an announcement about where his future is going to take him. Sunny weather is definitely in his future. My only wish is this conversation was longer than one hour, we have so much more to talk about.

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Coach Reynolds grew up in Humboldt county and always wanted to be a football coach. His time as an assistant coach under a legend helped him to grow and develop, but as most coaches will tell you, there were some bumps along the way. Coach Reynolds talks about team culture, developing assistant coaches and balancing family along the way. Once again, the key is to surround yourself with people who can help you be the best version of yourself.

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 Coach Woods is a coach, teacher and mentor and although is retired, she continues to teach and connect with her former student-athletes. She enjoys every day and her energy is infectious. She regrets nothing because she learned from all of her experiences whether they were championships or failures along the way. In retirement she continues to build her relationships with former athletes and enjoys the friendly competition she has found playing pickleball. We were fortunate to have Coach Woods on with us to share so many wonderful stories from over 4 decades of coaching. You will not listen to this episode without getting a smile on your face.

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Joseph ("Joe") Herbert is the oldest son of one of our hosts, Mike Herbert, and his story will hopefully inspire other young student-athletes to keep moving forward. This young man has not always known exactly what his path is, but he has always put himself in a position to have as many doors open for himself as he would like. Joseph was a high school state champion in track & field in Oregon his senior year and competed in 4 different sports over his high school career including soccer, basketball, baseball & track. He just finished his first year of college, but will complete his AA degree this summer from Shasta College in Redding, CA. Don’t miss this episode where he talks about some of his success and of course some of the bumps in the road while still joining Jared and Storytyme in giving his dad a hard time every now and then. We could not be more proud of this young man and we are so excited to share this special bonus episode.

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A reflection episode to say the least, this episode is a look back at what we have done so far. Not many people know that we recorded the first 12 episodes in a very short period of time and then put them in the bank and took a break. Not really knowing how this passion project was going to roll out we thought we should record a few and then sit back and watch how it all played out. Much to our enjoyment, the mission to impact 1 person at a time is working and we get to share some of those stories. This has been a great adventure and we look forward to sharing our journey with those who are interested in listening. 

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Tiffany Cotter shares her family's story about losing her husband, Gene Cotter, and how she continues to get up every morning for her kids. The love for her children is her driving force each day as well as her passion as a school counselor at Hollister HS, but that’s not all. She does all of this while also balancing the Live Like Geno Foundation (www.livelikegeno.org) which helps build basketball courts, raises money for scholarships, provides low cost summer basketball camps and don’t forget about her mission to help other widows. Don’t miss this conversation with an amazing mom and incredible person. 

**Trigger Warning**: Today’s episode of The #beBETTER Podcast covers a lot of different topics and we share some great stories with our special guest. Among those great stories something very sensitive comes up that we want our listeners to be aware of where we discuss the topics of death, loss and grief. The #beBETTER mission is and always will be to help people be the best versions of themselves, but at times we all may not feel like the best version of ourselves. We encourage anyone who might listen to this episode and feel like they need some help, or you know of someone who may need help, to please reach out to their local mental health experts and resources. You are not alone and there is always someone here to listen, all you have to do is reach out. We appreciate everyone who listens to The #beBETTER Podcast and we hope you enjoy today's episode.