Show notes
Most coaches spend their careers shaping athletes. Rustin Dodd and Elise Devlin spend theirs learning from them — and what they've found might change how you coach.Rustin and Elise write NY Times feature, The Peak for The Athletic, a section devoted to the mental side of elite sports. In this episode with JP Nerbun, they unpack what a year of "I Tried" journalism has taught them: Kobe's silence practice, Michael Phelps' freestyle journaling, Buzz Williams writing four to five letters a day, an Olympian who approaches every failure with childlike curiosity, and a reminder from David Ortiz about what it actually means to bounce back. The thread running through all of it: curiosity.For coaches who want to understand what's going on inside their athletes — and maybe inside themselves — before it becomes a problem.Chapters(00:00) Intro: JP on The Athletic's Peak(02:39) Ted Lasso's Real-Life Inspiration(07:41) Elise: D1 Swimmer to Peak Journalist(11:48) The Performance Info Gap(13:01) How The Peak Section Was Born(16:18) What The Peak Is Not(19:20) I Tried: Living Athletes' Habits(21:31) Silence, Emotions, and Journaling(23:13) How Athletes Find Their Rituals(25:41) Curiosity: The #1 Athlete Trait(26:41) Buzz Williams Letter-Writing(28:38) Gratitude and Failure With Curiosity(30:53) The Power of Saying Yes(35:59) The Pat Riley Conditioning Test(36:31) 17s Story: Hardship as ConfidenceTOC 3-2-13 Quotes | 2 Questions | 1 ResourceYour fast-track to the episode's most actionable ideas."That feeling of somebody saying yes to me is so powerful. And I oftentimes try to think about: how do I do a version of that? How do I say yes to people?"— Rustin Dodd"I thought about it and I was like — I guess I don't have silence."— Elise Devlin"I view all my failures with childlike curiosity."— Olympian Olivia Smoliga, cited by Elise Devlin2 Questions for Your TeamQ1: When something goes wrong in practice or a game, is your first instinct to fix it, blame it, or get curious about it? Which of those responses is actually coachable?Q2: What is one mental tool or daily habit your athletes don't know about — and when did you last share it with them?1 Resource to Go DeeperThe Peak by Rustin Dodd and Elise Devlin | The AthleticThe Athletic's section devoted to the mental side of elite sports. The "I Tried" series is essential reading for any coach curious about what elite performance looks like from the inside.Visit The Athletic hereKey TakeawaysThe Best Athletes Are Obsessively CuriousReflection Teaches More Than Experience AloneSilence Is a Performance ToolTreat Failure Like a ScientistGratitude Does Real WorkSay Yes More Than You Think You ShouldGet the notes and tools:tocculture.comJoin TOC Coach — community, courses, and live coaching:tocculture.comBetter Coaches. Better Leaders. Better Culture.