Win More, Live Better

In this episode, Zach shares the famous parable of the farmer and the runaway horse to explore why leaders and performers often judge moments too early. A loss, injury, setback, or disappointment can feel defining in the moment, but most moments are incomplete stories. This episode breaks down the dangers of binary thinking, emotional overreaction, and attaching permanent meaning to temporary circumstances, while offering a more grounded way to navigate life's circumstances.

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What can a Paris restaurant with almost no menu teach us about leadership and culture? In this episode, Zach shares a lesson from Le Relais de l’Entrecôte and explores why strong cultures are not built by trying to be everything to everyone. Zach explores why leaders often overcomplicate culture by adding more (e.g. meetings, standards, values, options, etc.) and why the better move is often to clarify the main thing you’re serving in your environment.

Learn More About Zach:

• Register for the upcoming free webinar on Monday, May 11th at 4pm (PST) -- Register Here
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• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Most coaches use film to help players improve, but very few use it to evaluate themselves. In this episode, Zach shares why reviewing your own meetings, practices, conversations, or presentations can dramatically improve your communication and leadership effectiveness. Drawing from his own experiences with podcasting and public speaking, he explains how self-review exposes blind spots, reveals patterns, and accelerates growth.

Learn More About Zach:

• Register for the upcoming free webinar on Monday, May 11th at 4pm (PST) -- Register Here
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here
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• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

What happens when you stop trying to suppress emotions and start learning how to work with them? In this episode, I build on my recent conversation with Amy Morin to explore the connection between emotional awareness and mental strength. We discuss emotion labeling and I also share a real-life example on the power of journaling about your emotions from NBA player, Steven Adams.

Learn More About Zach:

• Register for the upcoming free webinar on Monday, May 11th at 4pm (PST) -- Register Here
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here
• Subscribe to my free newsletter here
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

Amy Morin is a licensed psychotherapist, keynote speaker, award-winning host of the Mentally Stronger podcast, and an international bestselling author of six books on mental strength, including the globally acclaimed 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do.

Her work has been featured by major outlets including Good Morning America, Today, Oprah, Tamron Hall, and the BBC. Her TEDx Talk, The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong, has been viewed more than 24 million times, and her writing and speaking have helped millions of people rethink what it means to build resilience, manage adversity, and grow mentally stronger.

Amy’s passion for teaching mental strength comes from both her clinical expertise and her personal experience. After losing her mother and husband by the age of 26, she began exploring mental strength not just as a therapist, but as someone trying to navigate grief, uncertainty, and life’s most difficult moments herself.

Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[7:18] — From Grief to Mental Strength

[10:50] — The Power of What Not to Do

[13:18] — The Myth of Mental Toughness

[16:32] — Building Discomfort Tolerance

[19:33] — Helping Athletes With Anxiety Before Performance 

[22:38] — The 3 Components of Mental Strength

[26:11] — Stop Giving Away Your Power

[28:16] — Controlling What You Can Control

[31:45] — The Mental Strength Playbook

[34:37] — Emotion Regulation for Coaches

[37:24] — Mental Strength Takes Reps

[40:05] — Confidence Isn't a Feeling

[44:13] — Helping Resistant Athletes

[47:41] — Learning to Ask for Help

[50:03] — Life on a Sailboat

Learn More About Amy:

• Learn more about Amy's coaching, speaking, and books here

Learn More About Zach:

• Register for the upcoming free webinar on Monday, May 11th at 4pm (PST) -- Register Here
• Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here
• Subscribe to my free newsletter here
• You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.

The expectations you hold for others are never neutral. In this episode, we break down the Pygmalion Effect (also known as the Rosenthal Effect) and the classic 1968 study with school children that revealed how important expectations can be. If you're a coach, leader, parent, teacher, or anyone in an authority position, and you want your people to grow, it starts with what you expect from them (and how you show it).

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One of the most common forms of interference for performers is misinterpreting progress. In this episode, we discuss the bamboo tree and how it symbolizes why growth is often delayed, invisible, uneven, and misunderstood. You’ll learn a helpful perspective shift to stay patient and persistent when results lag behind effort.

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A lot of individuals and organizations put a lot of effort into how things look, but far less into how things actually work. In this episode, we explore the concept of a Potemkin village and how it shows up in organizations that look strong on the surface, but lack alignment underneath. Whether you’re evaluating a job opportunity or building a team, you’ll learn how to spot the difference between environments that are built to perform and those that are built to present.

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Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes. In this episode, I share a real coaching mistake from my time in Major League Baseball and the lesson it taught me about unintended consequences. We dive into how routines and mental training can shift from being helpful to detrimental, especially if it becomes a dependency for athletes.

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What if your performance isn’t limited by your ability, but by the story you keep telling yourself? In this episode, we break down the powerful story of Bo Eason, a former NFL All-Pro safety who reframed a defining moment from his childhood into a powerful identity that helped propel his career.

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