#475 The 20 Year Journey to Three Olympic Hockey Gold Medals with Ken Martel, USA Hockey Senior Director of Player and Coach Development

Kevin Connors is the Managing Director at Susan Crown Exchange, where he oversees grant making, leads new initiatives, and co-develops organizational strategy. Kevin helped lead the Million Coaches Challenge, a national initiative launched by the Susan Crown Exchange in 2021 to transform youth sports by training one million coaches in evidence-based youth development practices. Backed by 18+ partners, including the Aspen Institute's Project Play and research led by the American Institutes for Research, the Million Coaches Challenge is transforming youth sports by equipping coaches with the information and tools to create positive, inclusive environments that help young people build confidence, belonging, and life skills through sport. Between 2021 and 2025, it collectively trained 1,173,354 coaches. Previously, Kevin served as the Founding Director of Personalized Learning at Chicago Public Schools, where he led a $25M initiative and partnered with 120 schools to lead the nation's first large scale implementation of the Personalized Learning school model. Kevin has also written for Education Week, is a Teach for America alum, and presents regularly at local and national conferences. His work has been covered by CNN, The Today Show, and Vanity Fair. Recently, with support from the Susan Crown Exchange, the Aspen Institute and Ohio State University LiFESports recently announced the National Coach Survey. The 15 minute online survey can be found at as.pn/coachsurvey. The goal is to reach 20,000 coaches through the survey, and is designed to provide value to the youth sports field writ large, as well as a valuable tool for individual organizations. Specifically, organizations with 25 or more responses are able to receive their own reports. Connect at https://www.millioncoaches.org/ The #1 Bestseller CAPTAIN: THE ATHLETE'S GUIDE TO BEING AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM LEADER is the book you need to develop your team captains and leaders! CLICK HERE TO ORDER We are constantly asked "where have all the leaders gone?" Now more than ever, it is up to schools, clubs and coaches to develop our leaders, and this new book is a perfect guide to train and develop them. It is filled with stories of champion team captains on the professional and college level, Hall of Fame coaches, and more, and is a masterclass on leadership. Your athletes will learn from leaders such as Carles Puyol, Abby Wambach, Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, Richie McCaw, Carla Overbeck and Simone Biles. It will help your athletes understand the qualities needed to lead, the responsibilities they must accept, and the most common challenges they will face. The chapters are short and sweet and have discussion questions so that your leaders can work through them together and set your team up for great success. The book also comes with a FREE downloadable 10-session curriculum so you can guide your team or the leaders in your school or club through the entire book. FOR ORDERS OF 10 OR MORE, WE OFFER A $5 PER BOOK DISCOUNT. EMAIL [email protected] to place your order. BOOK A SPEAKER: Interested in having John present to your school, club or coaching event, either in person or virtually? Looking for leadership training for your student athletes, a coach development workshop or parent education? We are still booking Fall 2026 events, please email us to set up an introductory call [email protected] PUT IN YOUR BULK BOOK ORDERS FOR OUR BESTSELLING BOOKS, AND JOIN 2026 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS FROM SYRACUSE MENS LAX, UNC AND NAVY WOMENS LAX, AND MORE! These are just the most recent championship teams using THE CHAMPION TEAMMATE book with their athletes and support teams. Many of these coaches are also getting THE CHAMPION SPORTS PARENT so their team parents can be part of a successful culture. Schools and clubs are using EVERY MOMENT MATTERS for staff development and book clubs. Are you? We have been fulfilling numerous bulk orders for some of the top high school

Jack Rolfe is an international coach developer, founder of The Coaching Lab and creator of MatchPlay Cards, used by coaches in more than 75 countries. With a background in Sports Coaching Science, Jack has worked across grassroots, academy and high-performance sport with organizations including Arsenal, West Ham United, Crystal Palace and coaches connected to the England Men's National Team. His work helps coaches create engaging, games-based environments where young people can make decisions, solve problems and develop a lifelong love of sport. In our podcast this week we discuss innovative ways to create more dynamic practices and put players first.

Lindsay Crouse (@LindsayCrouse) is an author, producer, and journalist. For more than 15 years, she was an editor, writer and producer at The New York Times, where her Emmy-nominated work on women's sports brought widespread change to the industry, including maternity protections for pregnant athletes. In the Times's Opinion section, she wrote and commissioned widely read essays and produced hundreds of short documentaries, including the Times's first Academy Award-winning film. A life-long competitive distance runner and graduate of Harvard, Lindsay is the author of the brand new book The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out. Whether it's a relationship that has run its course, a career that no longer fits, or a goal that costs more than it gives, Crouse makes a case for the most radical, but also at times the most rational choice. Drawing on behavioral economics, psychology research, and neuroscience alongside a rich and surprising array of stories spanning history, sports, business, and everyday life, Crouse examines the hidden forces that keep us locked in failing situations long after we know better. From Bear Bryant's legendary and brutal "hell camp," to the Finnish concept of sisu, to K-Pop superstar haunted by his own record-breaking success, to the vast array of champion athletes discovering that the best way forward is not necessarily "harder and more," The Case for Quitting reveals why leaving is so hard—and why, so often, it is exactly right. Connect with Lindsay at www.LindsayCrouse.com

What happens when the person responsible for everyone else's performance has no one to turn to? In this episode, we sit down with Cody Royle, a pioneering voice in elite sports who specializes in coaching the head coaches. Cody pulls back the curtain on the intense, often isolating pressure of leading at the highest level. We discuss his career transition from international AFL coach to trusted advisor, the unique burdens of modern leadership, and why even the best leaders need a "second set of eyes." Cody spent his formative years playing rugby league and Australian Rules football (AFL), gaining an early education in professional team environments through mentorship from AFL premiership player Steven Icke and work experience with the Hawthorn Football Club. Cody served for over a decade as the Head Coach of AFL Team Canada, the men's national program for Australian Rules football. During his tenure, he focused on transforming the program into a highly competitive pathway for aspiring athletes. Today, he has transitioned into a highly sought-after, 1:1 online advisor—essentially acting as a "coach of head coaches". He supports elite head coaches across world-class leagues globally, spanning the AFL, Rugby, Soccer, Basketball, and Ice Hockey.

Steve Kerr is a nine-time NBA champion , widely recognized as one of the most successful and influential figures in basketball history. Across a legendary career spanning more than three decades as an elite player, executive, and head coach, Kerr has consistently engineered a culture of winning. As a player, Kerr was a lethal sharpshooter who spent 15 seasons in the NBA and still holds the all-time league record for the highest career three-point percentage (45.4%). He captured five NBA championships on the court—three alongside Michael Jordan with the historic 1990s Chicago Bulls, and two under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2014, Kerr transitioned to the sidelines as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors. He instantly revolutionized modern basketball, orchestrating the greatest regular season in NBA history (73-9) and anchoring a modern dynasty that has yielded four NBA championships . Named one of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, Kerr also added to his global legacy by coaching the U.S. Men's National Basketball Team to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.