Win More, Live Better

You can hold the retreat, organize the team-building exercise, bring in the guest speaker, and put your values on the wall, but some of your most important culture-building opportunities happen in the ordinary moments in between. In this episode, we use Zach Mercurio’s research on mattering to explore what happens when people feel seen, heard, valued, and needed (and what happens when they don’t).

Learn More About Zach:

• Email Zach -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Jay Johnson is the head baseball coach at LSU and one of the most accomplished coaches in college baseball.

In five seasons at LSU, Johnson has led the Tigers to two national championships, winning the College World Series in 2023 and 2025. He became the fastest coach to win multiple national titles during his tenure at a single school and has twice earned National Coach of the Year honors.

His head-coaching journey began at his alma mater, Point Loma Nazarene, before he spent eight seasons as an assistant under Rich Hill at the University of San Diego. Johnson later led Nevada to its first conference championship and guided Arizona to two College World Series appearances, including the championship series in his first season.

Across 14 seasons as a head coach, Johnson has won more than 500 games and developed 34 Major Leaguers, including Kris Bryant, Paul Skenes, and Dylan Crews. Five LSU players under Johnson have been selected among the first six picks of the MLB Draft.

Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[5:15] — The Hardest Decision of Jay's Career

[8:35] — Coaching Lessons From Rich Hill

[13:51] — Model What You Want From the Team

[18:04] — Learning Not to Make Losing Personal

[20:58] — The Loss That Changed His Leadership

[26:25] — Jay Johnson’s Four-Part Hiring Process

[30:43] — If Everyone Agrees, Someone Isn’t Needed

[34:53] — Defining and Evaluating His Coaching Process

[38:38] — Bringing Outside Expertise to Help Your Staff Grow

[41:43] — Coaching the Best Pitcher on the Planet

[45:57] — Players Confronting and Demanding the Standard

[48:55] — What Skip Bertman Meant to Jay Johnson

[53:07] — Never Waste a Failure

[56:24] — Helping Players Achieve Their Dreams

Learn More About Jay:

• Follow Jay and his coaching journey here.

Learn More About Zach:

• Zach's Email -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Human nature is to expect progress to be steady, visible and linear, but most meaningful goals are accompanied by setbacks, course corrections and periods when you have to take a step backward in order to go forward. Through the metaphor of tacking in sailing, this episode offers a better way to understand the inevitable zig-zags of growth and how to adjust your process in pursuit of goals, without having to change the destination.

Learn More About Zach:

• Email Zach -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

We conduct background checks before giving people important responsibilities. So why not do the same with the beliefs we give influence over our lives? In this episode, Zach shares a simple way to examine the evidence behind your assumptions and limiting beliefs, challenge outdated conclusions, and make sure your past isn't unnecessarily dictating your future.

Learn More About Zach:

• Email Zach -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Paul Goldstein is the Director of Men’s Tennis and Head Coach at Stanford University. Across 12 seasons leading the Cardinal, Goldstein has compiled more than 200 wins, guided Stanford to the NCAA Championships every season, won conference championships in both the Pac-12 and ACC, and earned ITA Northwest Region Coach of the Year honors five times. 

In 2024-25, he led Stanford to 26 wins, an ACC Championship in its first season in the conference, and appearances in the semifinals of both the NCAA Championships and ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

Before becoming Stanford’s head coach, Goldstein built an accomplished playing career of his own. He became the first player in NCAA men’s tennis history to start on four consecutive national championship teams at Stanford and was a four-time All-American.

Goldstein then competed professionally for a decade, reaching career-high ATP rankings of No. 58 in singles and No. 40 in doubles, advancing to the 2005 US Open doubles semifinals, and earning singles victories over players including Novak Djokovic, Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter, James Blake, and Mardy Fish.

Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[5:14] — From Winning Championships to Leading People

[13:35] — The Weight of Caring

[16:42] — What Business Taught a Tennis Coach

[19:46] — From "Me" to "We" 

[23:32] — Fostering Culture and Connection at the Dinner Table

[25:10] — The Mental Game of Tennis

[38:17] — What an Athlete Needs From You Under Pressure

[48:31] — Thriving in Stanford's High-Achievement Environment

[53:18] — The Doorstop Lesson

Learn More About Paul:

• Watch Paul's Commencement Address at his Alma Mater here.

Learn More About Zach:

• Zach's Email -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Culture matters, but not simply for the sake of having a great culture. It matters because of what it enables people and organizations to accomplish. This episode explores how leaders can connect culture to behavior and performance, why there isn't one universally “great” culture, and how working backward from desired outcomes can help create an environment where people can consistently do their best work.

Learn More About Zach:

• Email Zach -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Growth often comes with an uncomfortable period where the demands of what we’re doing exceed our current capacity to handle them. Using the remarkable story of James Lawrence’s 50 Ironman triathlons in 50 states in 50 days, this episode explores the gap between new demands and our current capacity and why we should be careful about deciding too quickly that something isn’t working.

Learn More About Zach:

• Email Zach -- [email protected]
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

The moments when you most want to quit may also be the moments where you have the greatest opportunity to create separation. Inspired by a question Chris Bosh learned from Kobe Bryant, this episode explores how performers can create separation when things aren't easy. Drawing on lessons from Randy Pausch’s famous “brick walls” message in his last lecture and my own experience training for my first marathon, we’ll unpack how to stay resilient, navigate setbacks, and keep going when the path gets difficult.

Learn More About Zach:

• Zach's Email -- [email protected]
• Reserve a seat at the Game Changer's Advantage Event on Sept. 4th here.
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Not every great performance starts with feeling great. Last week, two of the world's top music artists, Taylor Swift and Noah Kahan, reminded me of the same key lesson that is relevant for elite performers in any domain. In this episode, we explore why feeling your best isn’t a prerequisite for doing your best and what becomes possible when you stop treating your internal state as a prediction of what you’re capable of.

Learn More About Zach:

• Zach's Email -- [email protected]
• Reserve a seat at the Game Changer's Advantage Event on Sept. 4th here.
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Mark Gottfried has experienced college basketball from nearly every angle including as a player, assistant coach, head coach, broadcaster, and now as a speaker, mentor, and podcast host.

Mark began his coaching career at UCLA, where he spent seven seasons as an assistant and helped the Bruins capture the 1995 national championship. He went on to serve as a Division I head coach for more than two decades at various programs such as Murray State, Alabama, NC State, and Cal State Northridge.

Across his head coaching career, Mark accumulated more than 400 victories, won multiple conference championships, led his teams to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, reached three Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight, and earned Coach of the Year honors in both the Ohio Valley Conference and SEC.

Today, Mark shares the lessons from those experiences with coaches, executives, teams, and organizations through speaking, mentorship, The Coach Mark Gottfried Show, and his upcoming book, The Playbook for Success, which explores his signature "Get It Done" mindset which is comprised of grit, integrity, and desire.

Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[4:59] — What Matters Beyond the Wins

[7:00] — Growing Up Around the Game

[9:50] — An Unforgettable Lesson from John Wooden

[14:18] — Build Your Inner Circle Before You Need It

[18:34] — Coaching Can Be Lonely

[23:21] — Who Are You When the Phone Stops Ringing?

[29:19] — The 3 Lies That Pull Us Off-Course

[34:55] — Why Winning Can Still Feel Empty

[44:20] — What 287 Losses Taught Him

[49:35] — The "Get It Done" Mindset

[56:06] — Pouring Into Others

[58:57] — The People Who Have Always Been His "Why"

Learn More About Coach Gottfried:

• Explore more of Mark's current work and resources here.

Learn More About Zach:

• Zach's Email -- [email protected]
• Reserve a seat at the Game Changer's Advantage Event on Sept. 4th here.
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.
• Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.