Jamy Bechler

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

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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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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9 Ways to Become the Most Valuable Parent on Your Kid’s Team

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Thank you for being a parent and thank you for letting your child play sports, as it can build and develop so many characteristics that can help them be successful later in life. Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build up strong children than it is to repair broken men.” Parenting is hard – unless being perfect is natural for you.  Parenting an athlete can be even harder at times because it is so public.  It might not seem easy to build up strong children and raise them the right way – especially, when it comes to their athletic careers – but it is so worth it. All we must do is turn on the TV, scroll through social media, or interact with people on a daily basis and we see the need for more positive values such as respect, responsibility, and gratitude. When we positively develop our children, we are helping to influence and shape the future. Our children are the future leaders. How will they be taught to lead? Sports is a microcosm of life and a great means by which to teach our children lessons that they might not experience as much or as quickly otherwise. Just like we want our children to be better members of the community, we also want them to be the most valuable teammate that they can be for their team. In the same way, as parents we can also play a big part in making the team better. Here are 9 ways that you can be the most valuable parent on your child’s team …

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Episode 129: Pure Sweat Basketball’s Jon Beck

Jon Beck is a must-follow on twitter for coaches and athletes. After his stellar playing career at Division I Arkansas State University, he went on to have a successful career as both a boys and girls basketball coach in Tennessee. He has been trained at Nike Skills and Pure Sweat clinics and coaches academies and has worked Nike Elite camps and completed a summer internship in Los Angeles, CA for Drew Hanlen of Pure Sweat Basketball, where he has worked with several NBA players.

He now offers skills academies and team clinics, as well as individual and team training to players as a Skills Coach for Pure Sweat Basketball. Throughout his career, his focus has been on player development and skills coaching. His passion is to help players reach their full potential on and off the court. He is continually working to improve his craft as a coach, while developing great relationships with coaches and players.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • How to coach today’s athletes
  • What the best players do when they work out
  • Building a strong culture
  • Pure Sweat Basketball
  • … and so much more!!!

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Seeing Turtles

As a college student, I spent my summers as a life guard and camp counselor. During the weekends, the camp director would take the staff for boat rides around the lake. It seemed like every five minutes, he said, “See that turtle over there” or “Look at that turtle sunny itself on that log”. I don’t think I saw a turtle before he saw it at any point during that entire summer. Funny thing is that I also never saw a turtle on my own when I went out on the boat out without him.

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10 Things All Athletes Can Do

Every athlete has a different skillset and level of athletic ability. Not every player will have the natural talent of a Lebron James, Serena Williams, Lamar Jackson, or Maya Moore. But for every all-world player that makes it, there are countless others that had the talent but lacked the intangibles. Talent can only take an athlete so far. In fact, talent doesn’t equal good. The extra stuff can take a talented athlete and make them good. Likewise, there are plenty of athletes that have limited talent but have excelled at the intangibles, leading to success and them becoming valuable members of their team. Talent is only a starting point. No matter how much or how little talent an athlete has, here are 10 things that every athlete can do.

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Episode 127: Patti Phillips, C.E.O. of Women Leaders in College Sports

Patti Phillips is the CEO of women leaders in college sports. This is the nation’s premier organization that develops, connects and advances women working in collegiate athletics.  Patti Phillips is the former president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2015, she was a recipient of the NCAA’s Champion of Diversity Award. Phillips has served as the CEO of the Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly known as NACWAA) since 2010. In her time as CEO, the association has seen triple-digit growth in membership, has been rejuvenated with a renewed focus on advancing and empowering women, has undergone a name change and organizational transformation, and has established itself as the premier leadership association for women in athletics. Under Phillips’ direction, the association provides a road map, resources, and coaching for women wanting to advance into leadership positions. It also launched the Women Leaders podcast in 2017 which highlights the successes and career paths of women leaders both in and outside the industry.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The current state of college athletics
  • Developing the next generation of leaders
  • Women leaders in college sports
  • Leadership qualities that the best leaders possess
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 124: Jon Steinbrecher, Mid-American Conference Commissioner

Dr. Jon Steinbrecher is the commissioner of the Mid-American Conference. He has held the position since 2009. He was previously the commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference. 

In July of 2019, Steinbrecher became the first Division 1 commissioner to be elected to a NCAA council leadership position when he was elected as vice chair of the NCAA Division 1 Council.

Steinbrecher has previously worked on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee and the NCAA Football Competition Committee, and currently serves on the NCAA Transfer Working Group, as well as the Developmental Model Council of USA Football.

Steinbrecher is the only commissioner in the NCAA’s first division to serve as a commissioner at all three levels of the first division, which includes the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Football Championship Subdivision and the rest of Division 1. Steinbrecher was previously the commissioner of the D-1 Summit Division (1994-2003) and the Ohio Valley Conference (2003-2009.)

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The significance and origins of #MACtion
  • Student-athlete mental health
  • Developing student-athlete leadership
  • Issues such as transfers and paying players
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 123: Heather Macy, Author of Two Feet Forward

Heather Macy is a college basketball coach and author of “Two Feet Forward”. She is also the founder of the non-profit Influence and Impacters.

Macy is a highly requested speaker at civic organizations, hospitals, schools, non-profit organizations, plus in private industry. During these presentations, topics like teamwork, accountability, and discipline to achieve success are explored. One of only 300 coaches in the country Macy received a Certification in Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in 2016. She currently travels speaking to teams and organizations on how to use EQ to become an elite performer.

She has been a successful coach everywhere that she has been. She is the all-time winningest coach at NCAA Division I East Carolina University. She has coached at Spartanburg Methodist College, East Carolina University, Francis Marion University, Pfeiffer University, UMBC, High Point University, Lenoir-Rhyne College, and Catawba College. 

Heather Macy logo - hm in a circleMacy was the lone women’s basketball head coach invited to speak at the NIKE Championship Basketball Clinic in Las Vegas, Nev., in May 2015. The Las Vegas clinic is widely regarded as the largest college basketball clinic in the world. She spoke at the same clinics in Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas in 2011, while being chosen as a featured speaker at the 2008 South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association clinic in North Charleston, the 2009 Triad Coaches Clinic in Winston-Salem, N.C., and the NIKE Coaching Clinics in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Cleveland, Ohio and Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The process of writing her first book
  • Lessons learned as a college coach
  • Positively influencing student-athletes
  • … and so much more!!!

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