Jamy Bechler

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

Roger Penske and My Dad

As a youngster, my dad would serve as a firefighter for the races run at Michigan International Speedway.

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M.I.S. was less than 10 miles from my house. My brother and I plus one lucky friend would look forward to the four or five races each summer we’d attend.

This was before the era of luxury boxes and suites, so we’d sit behind pit row with the racer and pit crew families. I got to meet a lot of cool people and collect my share of autographs.

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4 Ways to Change How Your Athletes Serve Each Other

Great teams have great teammates. No disagreements there, but it isn’t easy to find great teammates. Not everybody that makes your team will come in as a great teammate — and that is where your presence and team culture kicks in.

The clearest signal that you have an athlete that is a great teammate is their desire to serve others. When athletes have the mindset of serving other team members, the entire program benefits. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden put it well when he said, “It’s amazing what you can achieve when you don’t care who gets the credit.”

Serving others is at the very core of sports — and it’s paramount to your team’s success.

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Brother’s Keeper

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
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Basketball was everything to me. It was my favorite sport. When I was in 7th grade, I was riding the bus home after school. My brother, who was three years younger than me was acting up quite a bit on the bus that particular day.

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Mr. Frank

The Dos Equis guy might be called “the most interesting man in the world” but to me, Frank Bechler held that title. 

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This weekend is special for me.

December 10, 1943 was my dad’s birthday.

Even though he is no longer here physically, not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. His impact on me has been what you’d hope a dad’s impact would be. 

Many of you have read “The Bus Trip” or “The Captain”. Mr. Frank, the bus driver, is a recurring character who pops up periodically providing wisdom and a story at just the right time.

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10 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving

“The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” (Norman Vincent Peale)

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Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and is a great reminder of all the blessings we have in our lives. Here are 10 facts that I find interesting about the holiday.

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No Limbs. No Limits.

“What if today, we were just grateful for everything.” (Charlie Brown)

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Nick Vujicic has lived a remarkable life.

He’s met 25 Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Vice Presidents. He’s traveled to 78 countries and spoken on 3500 stages to crowds as large as 800,000.

He’s an international bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor, producer, and actor.

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Adrian Griffin’s Preparation Pays Off

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” (Thomas Edison)

Adrian Griffin was hired as the head basketball coach of the Milwaukee Bucks just two years after the Greek Freek (Giannis Antetokounmpo) led the team to an NBA World Championship.

His path to becoming the head coach was less conventional than we’ve come to expect, but there are some lessons from Adrian’s story that we can learn from.

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Bechler Inspires Rotary Leaders at District Conference

Kennewick, WA (June 1, 2023) – Leaders and members of Rotary District 5080 and District 5100 joined forces to host a remarkable Joint District Conference, centered around the theme “Friends and Neighbors: the Magic of Rotary.”

This event was held May 18-21, 2023 in Kennewick, WA, and consisted of Rotarians from the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Canada). Among the many highlights of the event was the captivating keynote address delivered by renowned leadership expert and former college basketball coach, Jamy Bechler.

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12x All-American Swimmer Riley Gaines

Riley Gaines (12x All-American and 5x SEC Champion swimmer) appeared on the “Success is a Choice” podcast. Together with host Jamy Bechler, they discussed her storied career and her current work with the Independent Women’s Forum advocating for women’s sports.

Follow Riley on Twitter @Riley_Gaines_ and Instagram @RileyGBarker 

The “Success is a Choice” podcasting network consists of different episodes, series, and interviews that provide education, insights, and entertainment on a variety of topics. The network is run by leadership expert, author, and speaker Jamy Bechler.

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The Success is a Choice podcast network is made possible by TheLeadershipPlaybook.com. Great teams have great teammates and everyone can be a person of influence. Whether you’re a coach, athletic director, or athlete, you can benefit from this program and now you can get 25% off the price when you use the coupon code CHOICE at checkout. Build a stronger culture today with better teammates and more positive leaders.

If you like motivational quotes, excerpts, or thoughts, then you’ll want to check out Jamy Bechler’s book “The Coach’s Bulletin Board” as it has more than 1,000 positive insights to help you (and those around you) get motivated and inspired. Visit JamyBechler.com/BulletinBoardBook.

Please check out our virtual sessions for parents, coaches, students, and administrators at FreeLeadershipWorkshop.com. These sessions are free and cover a variety of topics.

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Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a quick review on Apple podcasts. Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of a podcast. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others.

Thanks again for listening and remember that “Success is a choice. What choice will you make today?”

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Jamy Bechler is the author of five books including “The Captain” and “The Bus Trip”, host of the Success is a Choice Podcast, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. He previously spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator.  TheLeadershipPlaybook.com is Bechler’s online program that helps athletes become better teammates and more positive leaders while strengthening a team’s culture. As a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, Bechler has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by clicking here.

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Freedom isn’t Free

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Click here to listen to the 1-minute version of this article on the “Success is a Choice” podcast network.

This weekend we might celebrate Memorial Day with a cookout or take advantage of a sale or get out on the lake for the first time or even attend a graduation ceremony, but let’s remember why Americans have this holiday.

In the United States, Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor those who have fought and died for our freedoms.

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