Jamy Bechler

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

Episode 145: Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, ACC Coach of the Year

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee is the head women’s basketball coach at Boston College. In only her second season at BC, she was honored as the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coach of the Year. She led BC to an impressive 20-12 overall record and a fourth place finish in the conference with an 11-7 record. The 20 victories were the most in program history since the 2010-11 season. The team also set a new program record for the most ACC victories with 11. She has previously coached at Albany University, Pikeville College, and West Virginia Wesleyan. She also was an assistant on the 2006 Maryland Terrapins squad that won the national championship.

Click here to read her entire bio.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • “Secret sauce” to turning around a program
  • First steps after taking over a new job
  • Football tailgating tips
  • Balancing a high-level job and family life
  • … and so much more!!!

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Basic Training

My friend Alan Stein, Jr. is considered one of the top performance coaches in the nation. For years he has worked with some of the best basketball players in the world. In fact, when I was a basketball coach, I used many of his conditioning drills for my teams.

He once told me about his first encounter with Kobe Bryant back in 2007 when he was in his prime and considered the best player in the world. Nike flew Alan out to the Kobe Bryant Skills Camp.

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Episode 142: Karissa Niehoff, NFHS Executive Director

Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The state of high school athletics (recorded prior to Covid-19)
  • Advice for how parents can help their kids best
  • Challenges & opportunities facing high school athletics
  • Qualities of great coaches
  • … and so much more!!!

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Episode 138: Mike Lombardi, former NFL General Manager

Available March 17th

Michael Lombardi spent three decades in the NFL as an executive with the 49ers, Browns, Eagles and Raiders. From 2014-16 he was also an assistant to the coaching staff of the Patriots. In addition to his current work with The Athletic, he’s also worked for other media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the NFL Network, NFL.com and The Ringer. He is a frequent guest on talk shows, podcasts, and NFL shows. Lombardi worked alongside such NFL legends as Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, and Al Davis. He and basketball coaching legend, George Raveling, provide daily insights through their site The Daily Coach. The former Cleveland Browns General Manager also hosts his own podcast “The GM Shuffle” with Adnan Virk, and co-hosts a Saturday morning sports betting program on Sirius XM for Vegas Stats & Information Network. In late 2018, Lombardi released Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL, featuring a foreword by Bill Belichick.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Bill Belichick’s secret sauce with the Patriots
  • What the best coaches do better than anyone else
  • How championship cultures are built
  • Whether a coach will be successful or not
  • Why teams like the Cleveland Browns are not successful
  • … and so much more!!!

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BORED Yet?

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” (Albert Einstein)

You’ve stocked up on more toilet paper than one person should own at one time.

You’re starting to wonder if your hands will ever smell like something other than hand sanitizer.

You’re binge-watching shows you would never be caught dead admitting to viewing.

You’re watching all of ESPN’s 30 for 30’s again.

Sound familiar?

BORED yet?

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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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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 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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Episode 130: U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott

The U.S. Marshals is the oldest American Federal law enforcement agency. The service was created way back during the presidency of George Washington.  Joining a long and storied list of American lawmen, in 2003, Peter Elliott was appointed by President George W. Bush as a U.S. Marshal. Since then, he has been retained by presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Elliot is one of only 94 U.S. marshals appointed by the president to oversee a judicial district within their state. He is the longest-serving U.S. Marshal in Ohio history. 

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • The amazing success of the witness protection program
  • How he got 850 fugitives (including 300 felons) to peacefully surrender one time … without tricking them!
  • Partnering with law enforcement agencies all over the country
  • Why it’s important to continue tracking fugitives
  • Creating the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task 
  • … and so much more!!!

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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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