The Winning Coach with Pat Rigsby

Get more at PatRigsby.com

A few years ago, I probably would have looked at a former client, player, or business relationship differently than I do today.

When I was 23, I was thinking about winning. I was thinking about what was right in front of me. I wasn't thinking much about alumni, former players, former clients, or what those relationships might look like 10, 20, or 25 years down the road.

Now I think about it very differently.

In this episode of The Winning Coach, I talk about the importance of building bridges—not just avoiding burning them.

A client may leave your gym. A player may transfer. A coach may move on. A former client may stop working with you. And when that happens, it's easy to get frustrated because there's a business impact attached to it.

But what if you looked at that relationship differently?

What if you understood that someone doesn't have to keep paying you to still be valuable to you—and for you to still be valuable to them?

For gym owners, fitness business owners, coaches, and entrepreneurs, I think there's a big lesson here about client lifetime value, referrals, reputation, relationships, and playing the long game.

Sometimes the relationship isn't about what somebody can do for your business today. It's about staying connected, supporting people, leaving them better than you found them, and knowing that you never really know what that relationship might mean years from now.

I've had people I've worked with on and off for 15 years. I've got players I coached 25-plus years ago that I still think of as my players. And I want to support those people whether or not there's ever a direct business benefit to me.

That's what I mean by building bridges.

Be proactive. Reach out. Stay in touch. Don't get bitter when somebody makes a decision that's right for them. And don't look at every relationship through the lens of, "How much money can this person make me?"

If you build enough strong relationships and leave enough people better than you found them, the professional rewards tend to take care of themselves.

That's a big part of what coaching...and building a business...should be about.

Build bridges. Develop relationships. Play the long game.

Get more at PatRigsby.com

Most gym owners want results now.

More leads. More members. More revenue. More sales.

But building a truly durable fitness business requires something that is increasingly rare: patience.

In this episode, Pat Rigsby explains why playing the long game has been one of his greatest advantages in business—and why gym owners should think beyond today's transaction.

The lesson Pat learned from college baseball Recruiting isn't about meeting a player once and immediately asking them to commit. It's about identifying the right people, building a relationship, following up, creating opportunities to connect, and determining whether there's a good fit.

Pat explains how that same process applies directly to marketing and sales in the fitness industry.

Marketing isn't always about immediate conversion A common mistake is expecting someone who sees your gym's ad today to immediately join. Pat explains why bigger commitments require more discovery, trust, and consideration.

Stop thinking "closing" and start thinking "opening" A sale shouldn't be viewed as the end of the relationship. It's the beginning of one.

The goal isn't simply to get someone to buy. It's to create the foundation for a long-term relationship with a client who believes your gym is the right fit.

Why consistent follow-up matters Pat shares that he's sent a daily email newsletter for more than 20 years—and some of his best clients consumed his content for years before ever having a direct conversation with him.

That patience allowed prospects to research, learn, build trust, and eventually make an informed decision.

The best clients aren't always the fastest buyers Desperation purchases and impulse decisions aren't necessarily the foundation for great long-term relationships.

The people who take their time, do their homework, and determine that you're the right fit can become some of your most valuable clients.

Don't burn bridges Pat shares lessons from college baseball about maintaining relationships even when someone doesn't choose you.

A prospect who doesn't join your gym today may become a client next year. A coach who doesn't work with you today may become a valuable connection in the future. A former client may eventually come back.

Every relationship has a future you can't necessarily see today.

Make relationship deposits One of the biggest ideas in this episode is simple:

Every interaction is an opportunity to make a relationship deposit.

Be valuable. Help people. Treat prospects well. Take care of your clients. Don't leave scorched earth behind when someone leaves.

Those deposits can eventually turn into referrals, strategic partnerships, speaking opportunities, new clients, returning members, and other opportunities.

Think beyond this month Pat challenges gym owners and fitness entrepreneurs to ask a different question:

Instead of asking, "What can I get out of this right now?"

Ask:

"Where do I ultimately want this to lead?"

That shift can change how you approach marketing, sales, leadership, client retention, networking, and business growth.

• Don't expect every lead to convert immediately.
• Build trust before asking for a major commitment.
• Follow up consistently without becoming desperate or pushy.
• Think of sales as the beginning of a relationship—not the end.
• Treat every prospect and client interaction as a relationship deposit.
• Don't burn bridges when someone leaves your gym.
• Continue providing value even when someone isn't ready to buy.
• Build relationships that can create opportunities years from now.
• Don't let short-term pressure dictate every business decision.
• Think about the business and legacy you want to build long-term.

The gym owners who build something lasting aren't necessarily the ones who get the fastest result. They're the ones willing to consistently do the right things long enough for those efforts to compound.

Play the long game.

What can a baseball manager teach you about building a better business and a more ideal life?

A lot more than you might think.

In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby sits down with Ted Tom, a manager in the Washington Nationals organization, to talk about his journey through small-college baseball, Division I coaching, IMG, and professional baseball—and the lessons he's learned about leadership, systems, culture, mindset, communication, and personal growth along the way.

Ted has spent his career learning how to develop people, build effective systems, lead teams, and consistently improve. And those same principles apply to business owners and entrepreneurs trying to build successful businesses without sacrificing the life they want to live.

In this conversation, Pat and Ted unpack:

• Why systems are critical to business growth
• How to identify the things that actually matter most
• Why great leaders learn to listen more and talk less
• How to build a strong business culture
• Why consistency is one of the most important leadership traits
• How to give talented people the freedom to be themselves
• Using data and technology without losing the human element
• Why business owners need to focus on what they can control
• How to measure whether your processes are actually working
• Why documenting your systems can expose the "leaks in your boat"
• The importance of surrounding yourself with people who challenge you and help you grow
• Why you need to learn to fall in love with the boring, everyday work
• How to narrow the gap between where you are and where you want to be
• Why continuous learning and humility are essential to long-term success

Ted's story is a great reminder that whether you're coaching a baseball team or building a business, success comes from knowing what you value, creating a plan around those values, and consistently executing that plan.

If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, coach, or leader looking for better business strategies, leadership principles, mindset shifts, and systems that can help you grow your business while creating a more ideal life, you'll get plenty to think about in this conversation.

Topics covered: business growth, entrepreneurship, business systems, leadership, mindset, company culture, coaching, team building, personal development, business strategy, productivity, continuous improvement, data-driven decision making, and building a more successful and fulfilling life.

The Winning Coach with Pat Rigsby

Helping coaches, entrepreneurs, and business owners build better businesses, become better leaders, and create a life they actually want to live.

Get more at PatRigbsy.com

Most business owners don't have a growth problem.

They have an expectations problem.

If you've spent years surrounded by people doing $15K or $20K a month, eventually that starts to feel like the ceiling. You assume that's just what businesses like yours can do.

But what if it isn't?

In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby talks about breaking through the ceilings we put on ourselves—and why getting into a stronger environment can change what you believe is possible.

Pat shares stories from his time building a college baseball program that had very little going for it on paper, as well as growing a training business from a market where 30 clients was considered successful to more than 400 clients in just 18 months.

The lesson?

Your past doesn't determine your potential.

A lot of fitness business owners spend their time looking for the next offer, the next marketing tactic, or the next shiny object that's going to fix their business.

But sustainable fitness business growth usually starts somewhere much simpler:

Change what you believe is possible.

Get around better business owners. Study people who are further ahead. Learn outside your industry. Join a community where bigger goals and better businesses are normal.

Because sometimes the ceiling isn't real.

It's just the highest level you've seen.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why fitness business owners create self-imposed ceilings • How your environment shapes your expectations • Why community can accelerate gym business growth • How to raise your expectations as a gym owner • Why studying outside the fitness industry can make you a better entrepreneur • The danger of constantly chasing shiny new offers and tactics • How successful coaches and business owners think differently • Why your past results don't have to dictate your future • How surrounding yourself with people further ahead can change your business

If you're a gym owner, fitness business owner, coach, or entrepreneur who wants to build a more profitable business—and not just chase the latest trend—this episode is for you.

Stop studying what's normal. Start studying what's possible.

Subscribe to The Winning Coach for practical insights on fitness business growth, entrepreneurship, leadership, mindset, coaching, and building a business that creates long-term wealth.

#FitnessBusiness #GymOwners #FitnessBusinessCoach #GymBusiness #GymOwner #FitnessEntrepreneur #BusinessMindset #BusinessGrowth #TheWinningCoach

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What if you could build a winning organization without having the biggest resources?

That's exactly what Dan Heefner has done at Dallas Baptist University.

Entering his 20th season as the head baseball coach at DBU, Dan has helped build one of the most consistently successful programs in college baseball—while competing against programs with significantly greater resources. And the lessons behind that success have almost nothing to do with baseball.

In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby sits down with Dan to talk about what it really takes to build a great organization: developing people, creating the right environment, hiring the right people, finding overlooked talent, and continually adapting when the landscape changes.

Dan shares why he believes one of a leader's most important jobs is to create an environment where people can grow, why "leadership" is really about influence, and why the best way to develop leaders is to actually give them opportunities to lead.

They also dive deep into hiring and recruiting—including why you should define who you are before deciding who you want to hire, why resumes can be overrated, how to uncover the truth during reference checks, and how case studies can reveal far more about a candidate than traditional interview questions.

For coaches, business owners, fitness professionals, and anyone responsible for building a team, there are lessons throughout this conversation that can be applied immediately.

You'll hear Dan and Pat discuss:

• Building a winning organization without the biggest resources • Why development can become a competitive advantage • Creating an environment where good habits are easy • Building culture through the physical environment • Why leadership is really about influence • Developing leaders by giving them responsibility • Hiring for culture and long-term fit—not appearances • How to conduct better reference checks • Why specific questions beat generic interview questions • Using real-world case studies to evaluate potential hires • Finding undervalued talent your competitors overlook • Learning from industries outside your own • Adapting when your industry is constantly changing • Doing more with less • The importance of staying curious and maintaining a "figure it out" mentality • The unique challenges of coaching your own children

This is a conversation about building people, building teams, and building something that lasts.

Whether you're a coach, gym owner, fitness professional, entrepreneur, or business leader, there's plenty here to steal for your own organization.

Because winning isn't always about having the most.

Sometimes it's about knowing what you can develop, what you can't, and how to build an environment that brings out the best in your people.

• 00:00 – Building a Winning Program Without the Biggest Resources
• 02:00 – The Early Days of Dallas Baptist Baseball
• 04:30 – Why Player Development Became DBU's Competitive Advantage
• 07:00 – The Power of Continual Curiosity and Getting Better
• 10:00 – Learning From Outside Your Industry
• 13:00 – Creating an Environment Where People Naturally Develop
• 16:00 – Make Good Habits Easy, Bad Habits Hard
• 19:00 – Why Leadership Is Really About Influence
• 22:00 – Stop Trying to Make Everyone Lead the Same Way
• 25:00 – How to Develop Leaders: Give Them Responsibility
• 28:00 – The Most Important Job of a Head Coach
• 30:30 – Hiring for Culture, Fit, and Long-Term Success
• 34:00 – Why You Shouldn't Hire for Social Proof
• 37:00 – How to Actually Check a Candidate's References
• 40:00 – Stop Asking Generic Interview Questions
• 43:00 – Using Real-World Case Studies to Hire Better People
• 46:00 – Finding Undervalued Talent Your Competition Overlooks
• 49:00 – How to Do More With Less
• 52:00 – Adapting When Your Industry Is Constantly Changing
• 55:00 – The Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Approach to Business
• 58:00 – Coaching Your Own Children: The Challenges and Rewards
• 1:01:00 – Building a Place People Love to Be
• 1:03:00 – Final Thoughts on Coaching, Leadership, and Growth

Get more at PatRigsby.com

What does it take to build a championship-level program—and become the kind of coach people want to follow?

On this episode of The Winning Coach, I sit down with my longtime friend and highly respected college baseball coach Brian Harrison, Head Baseball Coach at Baldwin Wallace University.

Brian has built Baldwin Wallace into one of the top Division III baseball programs in the country, with nearly 600 wins as a head coach and multiple trips to the College World Series. But the real story isn't just the wins. It's the leadership, player development, culture, relationships, and constant evolution behind them.

Brian and I talk about what it takes to build a successful baseball program from the ground up, develop players at a high level, hire and empower great coaches, and create a culture where players want to stay, improve, and take ownership.

One of the most important ideas Brian shares is this:

"The best player development is coach development."

If you want to develop better players, you have to become a better coach.

We also dive into clarity in coaching, building trust with players, recruiting, team culture, player retention, leadership, coaching philosophy, adapting to change, and finding competitive advantages—not only in college baseball, but in any environment where you're responsible for helping people become better.

Brian shares how his coaching philosophy has evolved over nearly two decades, why great coaches need to continually learn, and why becoming wiser often means eliminating the things that don't matter so you can focus more intensely on what does.

We also discuss the changing landscape of college baseball recruiting, the transfer portal, technology in player development, limited resources in Division III athletics, and how coaches can create an advantage by focusing on people and relationships.

This is a conversation about much more than baseball.

It's about leadership, personal growth, developing people, building culture, and becoming better at what you do.

If you're a baseball coach, sports coach, athletic leader, business owner, entrepreneur, or anyone responsible for developing other people, there's a lot to take away from this conversation.

• Building a championship-level baseball program
• The connection between coach development and player development
• Creating clarity within a team
• Building trust and authentic relationships
• Developing a strong team culture
• Recruiting and player development
• Hiring and empowering great assistant coaches
• Retaining players in a changing college sports landscape
• Using technology effectively in coaching
• Developing hitters, pitchers, and defenders
• Adapting your coaching philosophy over time
• Finding competitive advantages and marginal gains
• Leadership and servant leadership
• How parenting can make you a better coach
• Learning from other coaches and sports
• Why great coaches never stop developing themselves

The best coaches don't just develop players.

They develop themselves so they can better develop everyone around them.

That's what this episode of The Winning Coach is all about.

Get more at PatRigsby.com

Motivation Isn't Your Problem: Why Role Clarity, Systems, and Practice Drive Performance

Motivation gets a lot of credit—and a lot of blame—in coaching, leadership, and business.

But what if motivation isn't actually the problem?

In this episode of The Winning Coach Podcast, Pat Rigsby breaks down why business coaches, fitness business owners, and leaders often look for motivation when what their people really need is clarity, systems, tools, training, and consistent practice.

A motivational speech might create a temporary burst of energy. But once the adrenaline wears off, performance comes back down to what someone actually knows how to do.

Pat explains why great performance starts with clearly defining what "great" looks like in a specific role. Whether you're developing a salesperson, training a gym manager, coaching a team member, or leading an organization, people perform better when they understand exactly what is expected of them and have the tools and systems to execute.

You'll learn why role clarity is one of the most overlooked drivers of performance, how clear expectations reduce hesitation and passiveness, and why giving someone a playbook or operations manual isn't enough. The best teams don't just know what to do—they practice doing it until it becomes the standard.

For fitness business owners and coaches, this applies to everything from sales and marketing to staff leadership, client retention, coaching performance, and gym operations.

• Why motivation often gets blamed for a role clarity problem

• How uncertainty creates hesitation and passive performance

• Why motivational speeches only create temporary results

• The importance of defining what "great" looks like in every role

• How metrics can help establish clear performance expectations

• Why systems and tools are essential for consistent execution

• How to properly prepare and train your sales team

• Why giving employees a playbook isn't the same as training them

• How consistent practice turns expectations into habits

• What business owners can learn from elite sports teams

• Why sustainable performance comes from clarity + systems + practice

• How to build a team that performs at a high level without relying on constant motivation

If you're a fitness business owner, gym owner, business coach, entrepreneur, or leader trying to build a better team and improve business performance, this episode will give you a practical framework for getting more out of your people.

The goal isn't to constantly motivate people to perform.

The goal is to make great performance easier to understand, easier to execute, and easier to repeat.

And when you do that, motivation becomes what it should have been all along: icing on the cake.

Get more at PatRigsby.com

Prepare for the future—but don't miss the present.

In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby reflects on 21 years of marriage to Holly and the lessons their journey together has taught him about business, coaching, family, and success.

From spending their honeymoon painting walls and staining floors in a gym they were about to open, to building businesses together, coaching baseball, raising a family, and pursuing professional goals, Pat shares a lesson that applies far beyond marriage:

The joy isn't in reaching the milestone. The joy is in the journey.

It's easy for coaches, entrepreneurs, and business owners to constantly chase the next goal—the bigger gym, more clients, greater revenue, championship, award, or recognition. But sometimes, in our pursuit of the future, we miss the experiences that make the journey worthwhile.

Pat shares stories from his marriage, college baseball coaching career, entrepreneurial journey, and family life to explain why the present matters so much. He also discusses how achieving major professional milestones—including having both franchise brands he co-founded recognized in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500—didn't necessarily bring the satisfaction he expected.

The real memories came from building, working alongside people, overcoming challenges, and experiencing the journey together.

If you're a coach, gym owner, entrepreneur, or simply someone working toward a bigger future, this episode is a reminder to pursue your goals aggressively—but never at the expense of enjoying today.

Because the future isn't some distant destination.

The future is simply a bunch of todays stacked together.

00:00 – 21 Years of Marriage and a Shared Journey

02:05 – When Your Honeymoon Is Opening a Gym

03:25 – Prepare for the Future, But Live in the Present

05:00 – Why Goals and Aspirations Still Matter

06:35 – The Joy Is in the Journey

08:30 – The Relationships That Stay With You

10:05 – When Achieving the Goal Doesn't Feel the Way You Expected

12:10 – Why Success Can Feel Surprisingly Hollow

13:30 – Building Something Is Often the Real Reward

15:20 – The Journey Applies to Coaching, Business, and Family

17:00 – Don't Miss the Moments While Chasing the Next Thing

18:45 – Your Kids Aren't Going to Be This Age Forever

20:10 – The Future Is Just a Collection of Todays

21:30 – When a Detour Turns Out to Be the Right Direction

23:00 – Be Where Your Feet Are

24:15 – Pursue the Future Without Sacrificing Today

Get more at PatRigsby.com

Build Your Coaching Business Around What Won't Change

The fitness industry is changing constantly.

AI is changing. Social media algorithms are changing. Marketing tactics are changing. Consumer preferences are changing. New training trends and business models show up every year.

But the fundamentals of building a great coaching business haven't changed.

In this episode of The Winning Coach, I talk about why coaches, gym owners, and fitness entrepreneurs need to stop building their businesses around the latest tactic and start building around the things that are durable.

Because the goal isn't to figure out the latest Instagram algorithm or find the newest fitness industry trend.

The goal is to build a business that can weather change.

You still have to acquire clients. You still have to deliver results. You still have to create an experience people value. You still have to build relationships, develop your team, retain clients, operate profitably, and ultimately create a business that allows you to play the role you actually want to play.

Those things haven't changed.

The tools you use to accomplish them will.

That's an important distinction for any gym owner, personal trainer, fitness coach, or fitness business entrepreneur who wants to build something that lasts.

In this episode, we look at lessons from both baseball and the fitness business to understand why fundamentals matter more than tactics—and how you can use today's technology, trends, and marketing strategies without becoming dependent on them.

If you want to build a profitable fitness business, grow your coaching business, attract and retain more clients, and create a company that isn't completely dependent on you, this is a conversation worth hearing.

Build around what changes, and you're constantly starting over.

Build around what won't change, and you give yourself a foundation that can last.

Listen to The Winning Coach for practical insights on gym business growth, fitness entrepreneurship, coaching business strategy, leadership, marketing, sales, client retention, and building a more valuable fitness business.

What separates high-performing teams from a group of talented individuals? In this episode of The Winning Coach Podcast, Pat Rigsby breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions about leadership and organizational culture: great teams aren't built by talent alone.

Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, gym owner, coach, or leader, hiring great people isn't enough. Sustainable success comes from creating an environment where people can thrive, align with a shared vision, and consistently perform at their best.

Drawing from decades of experience coaching championship baseball teams and building successful businesses, Pat explains why culture is more than "getting the right people on the bus." He shares the leadership principles that transform individual potential into elite team performance and gives practical ways to evaluate whether your organization is set up for long-term success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why talent alone doesn't create winning teams
• The real definition of organizational culture
• How leadership shapes performance from the top down
• Why vision, values, and role clarity drive accountability
• The systems every business needs to help employees succeed
• How coaching and communication unlock your team's potential
• The difference between hiring great people and building a great organization
• How entrepreneurs and coaches can audit their team culture for growth

If you're looking to build a stronger business, create a high-performance culture, improve leadership, or develop a team that consistently delivers results, this episode provides a practical framework you can implement immediately.

Subscribe to The Winning Coach Podcast for weekly insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, business growth, coaching, sales, marketing, team building, and building a business that creates lasting impact.

#Leadership #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #TeamBuilding #CompanyCulture #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #GymOwners #FitnessBusiness #CoachingBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalCulture #Management #BusinessCoach #PatRigsby