Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

Peaks and Valleys

“Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them.” (Winston Churchill)

This past summer, I went golfing with my wife and her parents. Now, this might seem like the opening line to a joke, but I assure you that they are nice people and I would never say a bad word about them – at least until they stop reading my articles. 

About halfway into the round, I finally birdied a hole and my father-in-law said “It’s about time. I’ve waited 10 years to see you get a birdie.”

I think I saw a playful smile on his face.

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Episode 135: Move the Ball with Jennifer Garrett

Jennifer A. Garrett is an internationally recognized author, life coach, and motivational speaker. She is the host of the “Move The Ball” podcast and the author of “Move The Ball”. Jennifer currently works as an executive coach, corporate consultant, and Judge Advocate in the Army National Guard. She has seven college degrees: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Electrical Engineering, B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Arts (M.A.) in Communication and Leadership Studies, Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Business Transactions, and LL.M. in Taxation. She completed her graduate degrees while working and raising her five children. In the business world, Jennifer is recognized as an outstanding leader. Jennifer’s broad experience includes working for the federal government, and Fortune 50 Companies such as The Boeing Company and General Electric. Her expertise spans many areas such as legal, sales, marketing, branding, engineering, program management, and strategic planning. In December 2012, Jennifer received the GE Women’s Network Hall of Fame “Real Life Hero” Award.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Writing a book about football
  • The secret to living a busy life
  • Growing up a football fan
  • Facing your fears
  • Setting goals and implementing new habits
  • … and so much more!!!

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Teacher’s Pet

Believe it or not, I was voted “Teacher’s Pet” in my graduating class. To this day, I don’t know how that was the case. Regardless of whether I agreed with it, I had to take a yearbook picture with Judith Shannon, my dreaded English teacher. 

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Episode 134: Coach Bill Curry

Bill Curry has been the head football coach at Alabama, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and Georgia State. He was a 2x SEC Coach of the Year, ACC Coach of the Year, as well as the National Coach of the Year in 1989 for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Before embarking upon a coaching career, he played 10 years in the NFL as a Center. He played in Super Bowls I, III, and V, winning two Super Bowl rings with the Packers and the Colts. 

Click here to read Coach Curry’s complete resume and biography.

You can find out more about Coach Bill Curry, his motivational speaking opportunities, and his book “Ten Men You Meet In The Huddle” by visiting www.BillCurry.net. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • What the best teams have in common
  • Playing for Vince Lombardi and Don Shula
  • Attending Martin Luther King’s funeral
  • Why Johnny Unitas and Bart Star were so great
  • … and so much more!!!

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20 Books to Read in 2020

I once read 30 books in an entire summer, including 10 John Grisham novels. Reading is something that I enjoy doing. I am a paperback kind of guy as I will dog-ear pages, highlight passages, and make notes in the margins. My wife, on the other hand, only reads Kindle books or listens to audio books. 

Whatever your preference, it is important that you read. Readers are leaders. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things that you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

What follows is my recommended list of books in various categories that were published during the last two years. I have previously made recommended book lists of “19 Books to Read in 2019”, “18 Books to Read in 2018”, “15 Best Books for Coaches”, “15 Best Books for Leaders”, and “7 Underrated Books for Leaders”.

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Team-Building During Covid

“Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do.” (John Wooden)

Since March 2020, sports have been different. Covid-19 has made coaches and athletes adjust, adapt, and change the way they approach their sport. I have done countless zoom calls and consultations with teams on how to make the best of these unprecedented and challenging times we are all experiencing.

There is no doubt this pandemic has affected your team in some way – from games or the season being canceled, to quarantining and experiencing isolation, to wearing masks and staying six-feet away from teammates. No matter who you are, you’ve been affected in some way to some extreme.

Here are some ideas for making the best of a bad situation and trying to have a healthy and strong culture throughout this pandemic.

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Episode 133: Jim Johnson, A Coach and a Miracle

Jim Johnson won more than 400 games as a high high school basketball coach. He only had one losing record in his 30 years of being a head coach. However, he is probably best known for what he did in 2006.  His kindhearted gesture of giving an autistic student (now known affectionately as “J-Mac”) on his team the chance to make his dream come true has captivated the hearts of millions of Americans. How could it not? With the help of his teammates, J-Mac scored twenty points (including six three-point baskets) in just over four minutes, becoming an instant national celebrity.

Coach Johnson has been featured in major news outlets around the country, making a number of radio and television appearances, including the Oprah Winfrey and Jim Rome shows. He has met President George W. Bush, Governor George Pataki, and Senator Hillary Clinton, to name just a few luminaries. His team was paid a visit at school by NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and J-Mac’s magical moment won the ESPY for “Best Sports Moment” at the ESPN awards show later that year.

You can find out more about Coach Jim Johnson and his book “A Coach and a Miracle” by visiting www.CoachJimJohnson.com

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The inspirational story of J-Mac
  • Getting fired after his first year of coaching
  • Building a culture & turning programs around
  • … and so much more!!!

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Goals for 2020

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second best time is now.”  (Chinese Proverb)

The year 2020 should be your best year ever.  Do you plan on setting some “New Year’s Resolutions”.  Resolutions are really just goals that we set for ourselves.  The following is a list of 25 of my favorite quotes about achieving goals.  I hope that some of these inspire you to achieve your goals for 2020.

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Episode 132: Compete Every Day with Jake Thompson

Jake Thompson is the Founder & Chief Encouragement Officer at the global lifestyle brand Compete Every Day.  He is a speaker, writer, & active participant in life. Prior to launching CED, Jake spent years in both the sports representation industry & later, as a creative & strategic marketing consultant. Now, he is focused on utilizing his passion for changing lives to remind all that their life is worth competing for. For Jake everyday is a competition against pride, comfort zone, fear, complacency, snooze alarms, bad habits and bad relations. Jake teaches people through speaking podcast and popular apparel brand to compete everyday.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • How to win each day
  • Dealing with comparisons
  • Handling the haters
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 131: “The Bus Trip”

Today’s episode is a celebration of “The Bus Trip” being released on 11/25/2019. It is a modern-day sports leadership fable that chronicles a particular bus trip that a team takes. The season has been very challenging and the situations that occur that day help nudge the players to change how they do things. Even though it is a work of fiction, “The Bus Trip” presents very real issues and solutions. The first five minutes of this episode involves the author, Jamy Bechler, talking about why he wrote the book. The next five minutes has him interviewing a current college athlete, Lexis Garcia, who read the book.

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