The original thought for the podcast started in April 2018 after an opportunity at my alma mater didn’t go as planned. After applying, completing the traditional phone interview, going through a three day interview on-campus, I was told that I was a runner-up for the head men’s basketball job…I felt empty to say the least (more to follow in an upcoming FCP episode).
The last newsletter was sent out five years ago (April 15, 2021).
As Nitty Gritty Dirt Band says, “it’s a long hard road.”
Many things in my life have transpired since that time.
Exited the college coaching world
Lost three family members unexpectedly
Spent four and a half years at a culturally strong company in Drexel Building Supply working in IT and Training & Development
Moved our family north
The past eight months was spent headhunting in recruiting at Northwestern Mutual
This month I’ve decided to double down on the podcast. Listenership is up and I need to clean up my personal development life. Sifting through bookmarks, book notes, articles and videos saved along the way. All while trying to figure out what is next in my professional career.
Why restart the newsletter?
Another way to highlight the guests on FCP. Not everyone who is interested in the podcast lives on X, YouTube, Spotify or Apple each day. Platform to share my thoughts and experiences. If you can’t take one thought away from this newsletter each week, then I’ve failed.
Why should you subscribe to this newsletter?
Instantly receive the most recent FCP podcasts. Lessons learned over my 40 years. Book notes. Articles worth reading from around the World Wide Web. Other thought provoking podcasts. Giveaways and much more!
Would love to hear your feedback. Know of a guest who’d be a good fit on the podcast? Enjoy the newsletter? Hate the newsletter? Anything!
You taking a few minutes out of your Thursday means a ton!
Episode #64 - Scott Sorenson
In this episode, Coach Scott Sorenson shares his extensive journey through college basketball coaching, high school basketball, international leagues, and his insights on building a coaching career and the importance of adaptability and networking. We talk what he’s learned from the coaches he has worked for, coaching tennis and softball and living the coaching dream!
Coach Sorenson and I met years ago on the recruiting trail and I’ve always considered him one of the hardest workers in the game. He was the head coach at Northland College for 11 years before taking an assistant opportunity at the University of Dubuque.
Episode #65 - Grant Mollring
In this interview, Coach Grant Mollring shares his journey through football coaching at various levels, from high school to Division II at Nebraska Kearney, NAIA stops at Doane and Hastings and leading his own program at Division III Buena Vista in Iowa. He also shares his insights on recruiting, team building, and leadership. We dive into Nebraska football, being a Dominique Wilkins fan, working with Dan Tudor, building NoMo Athletics and how he gets better from a sport other than football.
Book Notes - Unreasonable Hospitality
(2022)
Human desire to be taken care of never goes away
People will never forget how you make them feel
Enthusiasm is contagious
You’re not always going to agree with everything you hear, but you’ve to got listen
Criticize the behavior, not the person
Don’t try to be all things to all people
Print signs with words that matter
Know why your work is important
When you give responsibility they become more responsible
The best way to learn is teach
Public speaking is a leadership skill
Create authentic traditions
Slow down to speedup
Raindrops make oceans
Treat everyone like a VIP
“We Then Me”
Going through old articles and loved this change in slogan. If you’ve been in coaching long enough, you’ve heard every mantra. This one hits different. Sean McVay considered stepping away from coaching after a disappointing 2022 season. An important conversation with Chris Petersen (yes, former Boise State and Washington head coach) changed his mindset and mantra.
Music Thoughts
As much as I enjoy sports, I feel the same way about the music industry. Something I want to spend time on is studying bands. Professional athletes have such an interesting travel schedule. Having to perform at high levels in different cities all the time. Same can be said for bands.
The back-to-back-to-back nights of performing, playing for thousands for hours and on the road again.
Another side of the music world that is interesting is when a song pops back up on the top of the Billboard charts. We all saw when “Dreams” (released in 1977) by Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” rose back to the top of the charts during COVID due to a viral video.
The most recent name to bounce back on the charts was Korn. Mason Miller, closer for the San Diego Padres, walked out to “Blind” (released in 1994) as he entered for his first save opportunity this season and it went viral. The cool backstory is the clubbies for the Padres actually suggested the song to Miller. My baseball career ended in 8th grade because I couldn’t seem to get the ball out of the infield. However, if I had a walk-up song, I’ve always said it would be “Blind” by Korn.