Jamy Bechler

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

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Jan 03 2020

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!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Autism, Autistic, basketball coach, Coach and a Miracle, ESPN, ESPY, ESPY's, High School, inspirational, J-Mac, Jason Mcelwain, Jim Johnson, Kindness, Leadership, Manager, Motivational Speaker, Opportunity

Dec 30 2019

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.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth · Tagged: 2020, Goals, Growth, Improvement, New Year's Resolution, Planning, Quotes, Vision2020

Dec 12 2019

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!!!

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Compete Every Day, Exercise, Grant Baldwin, Health, inspirational, Jake Thompson, Life Balance, Monday Motivation, Motivational Mondays, Motivational Speaker, Win the Day, Work-Life Balance

Nov 24 2019

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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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Book Publishing, Leadership, Lexis Garcia, MH Book Services, The Bus Trip, Todd Gongwer, Writing

Oct 31 2019

Be Kind to Everyone

Mark Twain said it best when he stated that “Kindness is a gift that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” 

Ellen Degeneres came under fire when she was caught on camera at a nationally televised Dallas Cowboys game sitting next to former U.S. President George Bush. It seems that some people are so angry and disagreeable that they think everyone else should be also.

It got so bad that Ellen had to address it on her show the next day.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: Be Kind, Ellen Degeneres, Gandhi, George Bush, Kindness, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King, MLK, MLK Day, Politeness, Positive leadership, Random Acts of Kindness, Self-Improvement, Serving

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