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PGA Tour Winner, Brad Faxon joins me on On the Whistle this week. Brad is an inspiration to listen to as he explains the psychology behind his success; not only on the PGA, but in mentorship and coaching as well. We start at Rhode Island Country Club where, for 12 years, Brad caddied for some of the most influential and successful people of the time. At the age of 22, Brad was on the tour teeing off with names like Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Greg Norman. Pretty intimidating to say the least! Brad lays out the mindset he developed through past experiences at RICC, touring on the PGA, and shares amazing insight on how to life a fulfilling life. Instagram: Bfaxon Twitter: Bradfaxon Sirius Radio Chan 93: PGA Tour Radio Tuesday mornings at 8:30 & Fridays at 7:30 On the Whistle is brought to you by SquadLocker.

This week on On the Whistle, I have the pleasure of hosting college Junior at Bowdoin College, Preston Anderson. A member of the Bowdoin Sailing team, Preston has led efforts toward establishing The Inclusivity, Diversify, and Equity (TIDE) Task Force to diversity the historically white, male sport. In our conversation, we discuss the road Preston took to get where he is today. We uncover the reasons and coaches that kept Preston coming back to the sport of sailing even through attacks on his own personal identity. In the second half of our call, we discuss the TIDE program and its already strong support from the sailing community as a whole. Learn more about TIDE here!: https://collegesailing.org/about/tide-committee Teams and mentorship play a massive role in the underpinning of communities yet most of those volunteers don’t get those voices heard. This podcast allows those people to highlight and talk about those subjects; teaching, mentorship, and community. On the Whistle is brought to you by SquadLocker

This week, Jennifer Garrett virtually joins Gary in the booth. Jen is a leadership coach, a speaker, an author, and a commissioned officer in the United States military serving as a JAG lawyer. Jen and Gary talk a lot about her book “Move the Ball: How the Game of Football Can Help You Achieve Your Life Goals”. In the book, Jen draws parallels between the principles needed to win the game of football and how they are the same that are needed to win the game of life. In this week’s show, we dive into some really interesting topics like continuous improvement, using your energy to energize others, and the importance of celebrating even the small wins.

This week, Gary interviews the majority owner and Governor of the Boston Celtics, Wyc Grousbeck. From ‘Kick the Can’ to owning the Boston Celtics, Wyc has always been a competitive person. As a rower at Princeton, Wyc came to realize the concept of being ALL IN. A true, natural competitor, Wyc knows the dedication it takes to not give up on a dream. His dream – owning the Celtics – was far from easy, but through his own sports experiences, he understood the responsibilities and dedication it would take to see his dream through. Teams and mentorship play a massive role in the underpinning of communities yet most of those volunteers don’t get those voices heard. This podcast allows those people to highlight and talk about those subjects; teaching, mentorship, and community.  On the Whistle is brought to you by Squad Locker

Andy Gresh comes from a background in sports broadcasting. Andy’s approach is mainly professional sports broadcast and analysis, so it was interesting to hear his perspective on youth sports, coaching, and mentorship.  Accountability, dependability, and structure are characteristics of athletes that Gresh thinks set them apart in the business world. Their ability to take direction, criticism, and initiative is evident of their experience from mentorship through sports.  Gresh brings up a rarely-talked-about point; mentorship at the professional level. Most pro athletes are thrust into stardom; having missed out on many learning opportunities that they would have learned had their athleticism called them up to the big leagues so quickly.  

An unlikely rower from Mount Holyoke became an Olympic athlete. That athlete completed law school and launched a successful legal career. Then she laid it all aside to become a filmmaker. Her latest documentary tells the story of an inner city rowing team from a difficult side of Chicago that came together to overcome a variety of obstacles and difficulties. Mary Mazzio, founder of 50 EGGS Films, joined the podcast to talk about her film, A Most Beautiful Thing. Mary and I discussed: How she unlocked the golden handcuffs to become a filmmaker Avoiding the white savior trope in sports films Why communities that don't reach their potential hold us back as a country

It all started at a keg party on the Georgetown campus. Paul Caccamo and scores of his friends were celebrating his graduation until the police showed up. In a turn of events worthy of Les Mis, a passing Jesuit priest convinced them to let Paul go provided he performed an appropriate penance. A letter soon arrived inviting Paul to help at a Catholic school in the Marshall Islands. There, what started as a year of penance launched the mission of a lifetime. Paul, who now serves as executive director at Up2Us Sports, sat down with me for this episode of the On the Whistle podcast. He and I discussed: The new faces of community and national service Racial inclusion and gender bias in youth sports Trauma-informed coaching in an age of COVID

A liar never tells you he's lying. That's why you fall for it. And that's the way all you've worked so crazy-hard to build starts to unravel. What began as an amazing entrepreneurial adventure in youth sports ended under a federal investigation. Steve Griffin tells the whole story in his book Front Row Seat: Greed and Corruption in a Youth Sports Company. I dive deep into the personal and organizational lessons Steve learned on this episode of the On the Whistle podcast. Steve and I discussed: What happens when problems seem insurmountable The factors that cause companies to fail What you can gain from your wins and your losses

Always a player that played to her strengths, building them to their full capacity, Erika Lawler won 3 national championships and a silver medal in the Olympics for ice hockey. When you have such a storied athletic career, what coaches and lessons stand out? In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I sat across the mic from Erika Lawler who now lives, works, and plays hockey in Brooklyn. We talked about her career on the rink and what she values in a coach.Erika and I discussed: Transitioning from a parent-coach to a coach The qualities of a great coach at all levels What it feels like to win a silver medal in the Olympics

Growing up Quaker meant learning to sit still, be quiet, and surreptitiously practice sign language with your friends. Today though, silence, mindfulness, and living in the moment — all the things that happened in the Quaker meeting — have taken a major role in the world. How can our childhood experiences, such as growing up Quaker, shape the way we think about sports, mentoring, and sports storytelling? In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I sat down with Andrea Kremer, seasoned sports journalist and analyst for Amazon Prime, Thursday Night Football. We talked about how her background in Quakerism affects her sports storytelling today. Andrea and I discussed: How growing up Quaker helped Andrea find balance, peace, and empathy as a sports journalist The ways sports mentors can help build a sense of self Gender's role in sports journalism

We aren't just playing games. Youth sports is also about social impact, character development, and growth into adult life. None of this happens automatically when we hand a kid a ball. Instead, it all develops over time as we invest our knowledge and ourselves into our athletes. How can we more effectively develop social integration in youth sports? Alison Haehnel, former conference pitcher of the year turned Senior Vice President of Social Integration at Steel Sports, employs a 3-track approach. In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Alison about how Steel Sports is helping their athletes develop character. We discussed: The 3 elements of social integration — the athlete, the community, and the ecosystem What led Alison to get involved in social integration work The next steps to developing a social integration program in youth sports settings

In youth sports, we talk a lot about changing the world. But once kids leave the field, how are they changed? Are they any different on the ride home in the minivan than they were when they arrived? Keith Osik, former player for the Pirates and now Vice President for Coaching Development, and Steve "Jonesy" Jones, Senior Vice President of Coaching Systems, at Steel Sports, believe in coaching systems that change lives. In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Keith and Jonesy about ways Steel Sports is guiding and mentoring young people to become better humans. We discussed: The story behind Steel Sports and how it's making an impact across America today Translating the plays for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back of the jersey, into action How to get kids thinking and behaving the right way on the field

How do you thrive in adverse situations? By practicing creative leadership in challenging environments. Like being a woman in athletics, for instance. It's tempting to behave sedately, the way women are often socialized to do. But sometimes, that's the wrong thing for everybody. Digit Murphy, head coach of the women’s professional hockey team, Kunlun Red Star, and head coach of Team China Women’s Ice Hockey, knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of being a woman in sports leadership. In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Digit about elevating the conversation around the role of women in sports. We discussed: Who Digit is and what her background in coaching women's hockey looks like How Digit earned respect as a woman in athletics What women often want and why they shouldn't want it

"If everyone played baseball like Cumberland Americans, this would be the greatest game." With those words and the rest of his five-minute speech after losing at the Little League World Series, Dave Belisle entered the hearts of sports fans, parents, coaches, and kids everywhere. In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Dave Belisle, best known for that ESPN moment at a Little League World Series that went viral. Millions and millions of people watched this video. We discussed: Dave's dad, a legendary youth hockey coach who won 26 consecutive state titles Advice to parents about how to interact with coaches in youth sports The story behind Dave's viral speech to his team

In Northern Ireland, soccer led to rioting and violence between Protestant and Catholic boys. But could basketball be different? One man thought so, and he created a team of Catholics and Protestants together. Mike Evans, founder and executive director of Full Court Peace, says basketball can be a unifying force. (The Dalai Lama agrees with him, by the way.) In this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talked with Mike about how basketball can unify people of different races, religions, and economic classes. We discussed: Who Mike is and how Full Court Peace got its start in Northern Ireland The language coaches use to bridge deep divisions on a team Expanding the program into Cuba and cities in the U.S.

By teaching people to do something, you take away their ability to figure it out for themselves. Isn't structured coaching the best way to learn? Not always. You need to get a feel for how to control your defender with your eyes, posture, or faking skills. None of those things can be taught. They must be felt. Jamie Munro, founder of 3d Lacrosse and owner of JM3 Sports, says coaches win games but players develop on the sandlot. In this episode of On the Whistle, I talked more with Jamie about his background in coaching and why he thinks we need to balance structure with free play. We discussed: Who Jamie is and how both 3d Lacrosse and JM3 Sports got started Why learning the feel of the game is valuable How to navigate career transitions in coaching

Liam is 10 years old. He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It's like ALS but affects young boys instead of grown ups. He's also part of the baseball team at Northeastern University. Liam is just one of the seriously or chronically ill kids that Jay Calnan and the folks at Team Impact are putting on college sports teams. Jay's goal is to see a sick child on every college team. On this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, Jay and I talked about what seriously and chronically ill children can teach college athletes about resilience.

Never sugarcoat anything. Wilie Edwards, assistant football coach at Brown University, believes the recipe for effective coaching blends discipline, love, firmness, and hard work. It took tough love for him to lead a team to five straight High School Super Bowl visits and two championships. On this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, Coach Willie and I talk about his life playing football, what motivated him to succeed, and how he coaches his players today. We discuss: Who Coach Willie is and how his football career progressed The coaching style that brought his team to the championships Characteristics of great mentors ...and what Coach Willie is doing now at Brown and with the LA Rams

How do you create a community where mentors lead change and people feel loved? One man found a way with a long skinny racket and a small rubber ball. Founder & CEO at SquashBusters, Greg Zaff is changing the world through squash — the sport, not the vegetable. On this episode of the On the Whistle podcast, Greg and I talk about making squash accessible. We discuss: A brief history of squash and how you play the game How Greg got the idea for SquashBusters The power of squash to transform the lives of less privileged kids ...And how you can help close the opportunity gap

As a mentor, a coach, or a leader, you get what you get. It's up to you to build around what you get. On the inaugural episode of the On the Whistle podcast, I talk with Babson hockey coach Jamie Rice about his journey to coaching and what's made him successful in sports leadership. What I talk with Jamie about: When the skates went on and the puck dropped in Jamie's journey to Babson hockey What it means that kids don't have as much free time as they did in the past How to teach ethics and morality while you're teaching hockey Who a leader really is on and off the rink ...And the journey to becoming a college hockey coach