In this episode, I’m joined by Silver Edwards (https://silveredwardscoaching.com/) for a deep conversation on what truly separates athletes who endure from those who evolve.

Mindset.
Emotional regulation.
Confidence.
Resilience.
Capacity under pressure.

These are not personality traits.
They are skills—and like any skill, they must be trained, practiced, and reinforced daily.

We unpack the truth too often overlooked in sport:
Athletes don’t rise to the moment—they fall to the level of their preparation, especially when emotions run high and pressure is real.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why mindset and emotional control are trainable performance skills
• How confidence is built through process, consistency, and earned belief
• The coach’s responsibility to create environments that strengthen capacity
• The role parents and support systems play in either reinforcing growth—or unintentionally eroding it
• How mental performance professionals help athletes develop tools, not dependence

This episode is a call to coaches, athletes, parents, and leaders to stop treating mental performance as optional—or reactive—and start developing it with the same, no, not the same, a greater intention as physical and technical training.

Because confidence isn’t given.
Resilience isn’t inherited.
And belief doesn’t appear on game day.

They are built—one rep, one response, one day at a time.

🎧 If you care about developing athletes who can handle pressure, respond with purpose, and grow through adversity—this conversation is essential listening.

Full Podcast Transcript

https://docs.google.com/document/d/187OBiZig2--9uSKd6Lgbp3FsZ35DabOz2C81FtfIHDo/edit?usp=sharing

Lead, Live, Play Beautiful

https://playbeautiful.squarespace.com/

In this episode of Play Beautiful, we confront a hard truth many coaches avoid:
our pain isn’t a weakness — it’s part of our preparation.

Too often, coaching culture rewards volume, control, and the illusion of having all the answers. But the leaders who leave lasting impact aren’t defined by perfection. They’re shaped by adversity — and by the courage to share it.

This episode explores how your failures, setbacks, and storms can become one of the most powerful teaching tools you possess. When coaches lead with honesty and vulnerability, they don’t lose authority — they gain trust. They don’t give away leadership — they transfer it.

You’ll hear why:

• Adversity forges credibility and compassion
• Vulnerability models resilience better than any speech
• Athletes need leaders who show them how to walk through hardship
• Your story becomes the “sword” that equips others to lead

If you’re a coach, leader, or mentor who believes this work is sacred — and that sport is about more than wins and losses — this conversation will challenge and encourage you to lead with greater courage and clarity.

Your story matters.
Your pain has purpose.
And the way you share it may change the lives of those you lead.

Lead, Live, Play Beautiful

https://playbeautiful.squarespace.com/

Coach, let's be honest, we all have a "bad parent" story. But, for every 1 of those we have 3 examples of parents that are supportive, grateful, and great teammates. In this week's episode, my wife, Candice and I, in true coach couple fashion, have a conversation in the car. Again, full transparency, that's likely the most time coaching couples get together. Complete with kids in the back sneezing, navigation voiceover in the background, and turn signals clicking, the whole package! Our topic was how to gain the trust of your sports team parents through communication, incorporation, and gaining their buy in to you and your values. We hope you learn from and enjoy our "family chat" in the truck on the way to go hunting on Thanksgiving. Hey, this is leading, living, and playing beautiful!

Lead, Live, Play Beautiful

https://playbeautiful.squarespace.com/

In this episode of Play Beautiful, we explore how values form the bedrock of leadership and team culture — on the field, in the locker room, and beyond. Drawing powerful parallels between sport and military principles, we unpack how commitment, integrity, and courage are more than words on a wall — they’re behaviors that define how teams respond under pressure.

From the discipline of daily habits to the trust built through shared adversity, this conversation challenges coaches and leaders to look inward: Are you living the values you expect from your team?

Join us as we connect the mindset of service, sacrifice, and shared purpose that unites athletes, soldiers, and leaders who choose to play — and lead — beautifully

Lead, Live, Play Beautiful

https://playbeautiful.squarespace.com/