What do you wish you could tell your coach, but for whatever reason never did?

That is the fundamental question Dr. Sara Erdner and I explore, as well as the theme for her book: Dear Coach, What I Wish I Could Have Told You.

If there’s one thing that’s clear about sport (especially at the collegiate and youth levels) it’s that coaches don’t just impact an athletes current physical skills, they also have a massive influence on their long term psychological well being, confidence, and motivation.

In this epsiode, we talk about things like:

• is there a downside to our emphasis on being “coachable”?
• the irony of coaches wanting athletes to take feedback, but not being open to it themselves
• why teams and organizations aren’t families and why they should stop saying they are
• why we ultimately need to focus on coach mental health and mental strength if we want to instill the same in athletes
• and even some questions a high schooler or parent might ask on a recruiting visit to really get a sense of how the culture and relationship the coach is fostering

If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to listen to my conversation with Dr. Brian Zuleger on building mental strength from the inside out. As Dr. Erdner and I discuss, many coaches are outside in, meaning that when the team is performing great, the coach’s well-being, confidence, and motivation are high….but once the team performance starts to drop….then the coach’s well-being, confidence, and motivation, quickly follow.

Dr. Erder is a Certified Mental Performance Coach with a PhD in Sport Psychology and Motor Behavior. She’s worked with all levels of athletes, including being the mental performance coach for a major professional sports organization, and is currently one of my professors at Adams State University. Dr. Erdner has an incredible amount of knowledge and experience, but rather than just telling coaches what they should do better, she hopes that this conversation and her book are invitations for coaches, athletes, administrations and organizations to launch more conversations around creating needed and lasting changes so that we can create the kind of positive experiences for coaches and athletes alike that sport can and should be all about.

Find more about Dr. Erdner and her book at: https://www.dearcoachbook.com

Psychology of Sport Injury & Rehabilitation podcast

Nutcracker Syndrome podcast

Suggested reading: research on playfulness and performance:

Performance and physical activity. How playful activities implemented into training in Danish esports clubs influence players' performance experience

Playful sport design: A game changer?

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Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Leave a comment: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

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Max Stoneking is an accomplished triathlete, former collegiate swimmer, as well as a triathlon coach and physical therapist (DPT).

This episode is all about navigating the physical and mental challenges of sport and how to integrate it into your schedule alongside the demands and stresses of our work and social calendar.

We talk about relative energy deficiency syndrome and the red flags to look out for in your own training. I really appreciated Max’s honesty in handling RED-S, which is something I also talked a bit out on my episode with Ellen Davis, who's a a sports nutritionist as well as Brady Holmer, who just rocked a 2:26 marathon in Boston, so feel free to circle back to those if you’re fascinated by that.

One thing I loved about this conversation was Max’s approach as a physical therapist and coach and how he intentionally works to create an environment that people enjoy showing up to, and helping people think about the why or purpose behind their rehab and training.

If you're interested in creating a life of intention, helping others, and building the self-awareness necessary to thrive in the long run, this episode has something for you, let’s dive in.

This episode is brought to you by Forging Iron Training Principles, something infused in this conversation is training at the edge of our capacity, and essentially the repercussions that occur either from an injury, fatigue, hormonal, or mindset standpoint when we go too far. If you find that fascinating, I’d encourage you to check out our post on the Law of Diminishing Training Returns, where we talk about how, when it comes to long term improvement, sometimes less is more and what are some of those warning signs or things to avoid when we’re almost too motivated to push beyond our current limits.

I’d love to know what your takeaways from this episode are! Leave a comment or review, share it on social media (linked below), or send us a message here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Until next time, happy training!

Connect with Max Stoneking, PT, DPT

https://maxstoneking.substack.com

https://www.eliteedgecoached.com

https://x.com/max_stoneking

https://www.performancerehabkc.com/olathecollegeblvdandk7

Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Ask a question or leave a comment: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Sponsor the Podcast, Newsletter, and/or Training Squad: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski

More ways to connect:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws

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LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski

Gordo Byrn is the former Ultraman World Champion, which is a 3 day stage race covering 320 miles with a 6.2 mile swim followed by a 90 mile bike ride on day one, a 171 mile ride on day 2, and after all that, just your standard, run of the mill double marathon, 52.4 miles of running on the islands of Hawaii.

At the time of this recording, Gordo was dealing with an injury, but a few months later he’s winning the 55-59 age group at Ironman 70.3 oceanside, with a blazing time of 4:38 and a sub 1:30 run split, averaging 6:48 per mile and winning the age group by 10 minutes. This is all the more impressive not just from navigating injury, but by the fact that Gordo is coming back from taking 10 years off from racing, with virtually no running or swimming in a decade.

We talk about that return to sport, not only how he handled from the physical training, but the mental side as well, how his approach was to actually work easier instead of harder, and how being able to keep up with his kids and create incredible experiences with them inspired his return.

I love Gordo’s perspective not just on training philosophy, but his approach to creating his ideal lifestyle, aligning the type of person he wants to be with the problems and projects he finds fascinating, and allowing those to help steer his goals.

Gordo is an inspiration to so many athletes, coaches, and parents. Let us know what you get out of this episode by sharing it on social media, sending us an email, or leaving a comment or review on your podcasting app. Enjoy!

More about Gordo:

Endurance Essentials

True Wealth

Live Long and Prosper

How to Skate a 10k by Nils van der Poel: https://www.howtoskate.se

Twitter: @feelthebyrn1

Instagram: @feelthebyrn

Youtube

Strava

Gordo on Rich Roll podcast

Coach Griffin & Forging Iron Training:

Coaching: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Ask a question or leave a comment: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Sponsor the Podcast, Newsletter, & Training Squad: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Forging Iron Training Principles Substack

YouTube Channel:

More ways to connect:

Instagram: @coach_grifjaws

Twitter: @coach_grifjaws

LinkedIn

In this episode, Jackson Heidesch joins us to talk about the highs and lows of running and the mental skills, or toolbox as he calls it, he's working on to help navigate that journey.

Jackson was the 20th high schooler to break 4 minutes in the mile, running a 3:59.08. He also ran 8:42 in the 2 mile indoors his senior year, which at the time was #4 on the all time indoor list, and was 5th at nike cross country nationals. He currently runs for Duke University.

Unfortunately, 4 minutes isn’t the only thing Jackson has broken, having dealt with multiple stress fractures in his first few years of college. Thankfully, Jackson gives us a behind the scenes how he’s handling these setbacks from both a physical and mental standpoint, and some of the tools he’s developed from working with sports psychologists.

This conversation mirrors a lot of what Dr. Zuleger shared in our previous episode about building our mental strength from the inside out.

I think you’ll really appreciate Jackson’s honesty and openness in this conversation as well as the practical ways he’s doing that internal work. Whether your a runner, triathlete, parent or coach, this episode has something for you.

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More ways to connect with Coach Griffin:

Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter and Griffin's YouTube Channel are all about:

Newsletter: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski

This is a continuation of my conversation from Part 1 with Dr. Zuleger, but we focus more on the coaching aspect of things. The thing is, most coaches aren't taught leadership skills, they're simply picked because they were a good athlete or have been around the sport for a long time. But experience doesn't necessarily mean you know how to lead and create positive team cultures...

We talk about developing coaches as leaders, how they can better utilize captains, and see their own actions and behaviors as a performance. If you're a coach or business executive or manager, this has a ton of great insight for you, but even if you're just an athlete or parent, it can be helpful to know that your coach is learning as well, they're a work in progress and they're a person. While some athletes still struggle with negative coaching (even at some of the highest levels), most coaches I know truly do want the best for their athletes, but we don't always have the right tools to help athletes with their mental training, which is where Dr. Zuleger comes into play!

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Dr. Zuleger is a CMPC, P.H.D. in Sport Psychology, and the Coordinator of the Applied Sport Psychology master's program that I'm in at Adams State University.

Connect more with Dr. Zuleger here:

http://drzuleger.com

https://www.instagram.com/areteperformance/

https://www.facebook.com/AretePerform/

This podcast is brought to you by Forging Iron Training Squad:

Connect with us or learn more:

• Website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Articles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter is all about. Dive in here: https://griffinjaworski.subs

Dr. Zuleger is a Certified Mental Performance Coach, P.H.D. in Sport Psychology, and the Coordinator of the Applied Sport Psychology master's program that I'm in at Adams State University.

Dr. Zuleger has worked with a wide range of athletes and teams, including NCAA champions and olympians but he's also passionate about educating coaches, both in how to they can help their athletes with the psychological side of sport but also in how coaches can view what they do as a performance. It's so fascinating because coaches teach athletes how to do better, but very often coaches just have to learn by osmosis, of watching other coaches, and maybe they know the technical side of sport but very seldom are they actually educated on the performance psychology.

This is a two part masterclass on what it means to build mental strength and be a great coach and leader.

Wether you're an athlete, a coach, a parent, or business person, there's something in these episodes for you.

Connect more with Dr. Zuleger here:

http://drzuleger.com

https://www.instagram.com/areteperformance/

https://www.facebook.com/AretePerform/

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This podcast is brought to you by Forging Iron Training Squad:

Connect with us or learn more:

• Website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/coach_grifjaws
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/coach_grifjaws
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/griffin-jaworski/
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Articles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Training for endurance sports is hard! How much training should you do, how hard should you go, how do you adjust when your kids get sick and you need to take an unplanned day off or you travel for work? We get it! There is a lot that goes into it, and we'd love to help you navigate that process. Let's connect on a free coaching consultation to see how if we're a good fit to help you in your endruance endeavors: https://forgingirontraining.fit/coaching-consult

Have a specific or random question about training, racing, coaching, or leadership? Let us know and we might be able to answer it on the podcast or in newsletter: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

Interested in sponsoring the podcast, newsletter, or coaching squad? We'd love to help you help others make the most out of life throught sport, find out more here: https://forgingirontraining.fit/becomeasponsor

Want to interview Griffin on your podcast? Let's connect: https://forgingirontraining.fit/interview-req

Want a behind the scenes look at Griffin's training and coaching insights along with foundational principles and fun training experiments? That's what the Forging Iron Training Principles newsletter is all about. Dive in here: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Ellen Davis is a CSSD (Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics), entrepreneur, former division one athlete for the University of Missouri, and a proud boy mom. One of the things I really appreciate about Ellen is her practical advice, being able to distill the science of nutrition and fueling into something we can actually use in our daily lives.

In this episode, Ellen and I talk a lot about:

• Relative Energy Deficiency Syndrome, aka RED-S
• fueling for performance in real life
• the impact of mindset on our nutrition and our nutrition on our mindset
• navigating fueling as a parent
• balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood

Disclaimer, we do mention disordered eating and eating disorders, and while we don't dive in too deep here, I just want to say upfront that nutrition is an extremely complicated and challenging topic, and everyone has a different relationship with food.

However, I think it's important to have these types of difficult conversations and help educate ourselves, especially as coaches and parents, in order to make sure we are helping fuel ourselves for our own performance, as well as set our athletes and kids up for success in sport and in life.

Thankfully we have people like Ellen and her team at the Performance Collective that are here to help us navigate these choppy waters.

The Performance Collective: learn more about and connect with Ellen and her team!

Ellen also mentions: Rebecca McConville: https://beccamcconville.com/

Let us know what resonated with you or surprised you, or if you have a question drop it in the link below so we can answer on a future episode or article.

As always, we'd love it if you could share this with a friend or training partner, someone that you think might enjoy it or get something out of it!

Until next time, happy training!

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More ways to connect with Coach Griffin:

Coaching and camps: forgingirontraining.fit

Forging Iron Training Principles: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com/

Ask a question: https://forgingirontraining.fit/ama

YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski

Today's episode is a real treat. Brady Holmer, or Brady from X, as he's referred to in the streets, drops by to give us a glimpse of his unorthodox marathon approach. Spoiler alert, he used it to crush a sub 2:28 marathon...only running 4 days per week!

We talk about what he enjoys about the approach and why he thinks it's working, as well as why he started it in the first place. We recorded this a week out from his race, so it was great to see his confidence in the plan even before knowing the result!

Whether you're gearing up for your first endurance event or are a veteran in the sport, Brady's mindset, training, and knowledge are sure to give you some powerful insights.

Connect and learn more about Brady through his super popular newsletter and X account:

https://www.physiologicallyspeaking.com

https://x.com/B_Holmer

Brady's book VO2 Max Essentials on Amazon and Gumroad:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDF84HBB
• https://bradyjholmer.gumroad.com/l/VO2maxessentials

We also talk about our mutual respect for Gordo Bryn, who you can find more about here...and perhaps in a later episode of the podcast ;) ...

https://x.com/feelthebyrn1

https://feelthebyrn.substack.com

Connect more with Coach Griffin and Forging Iron Training:

• Our coaching website: https://forgingirontraining.fit
• Training experiments and mindsets on YouTube: https://youtube.com/griffinjaworski
• Dive into the physical and psychological principles of training in our newsletter: https://griffinjaworski.substack.com