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Win More, Live Better is a podcast for sport coaches and high-performing leaders who care deeply about results, but refuse to compromise their well-being, joy, or relationships in the process.
This show explores what it really means to win more and live better on your terms. Through stories, conversations, and practical frameworks, each episode helps you sharpen your leadership, strengthen your inner game, and build systems that support sustainable performance for you and those you lead.
Hosted by Zach Brandon, a nationally recognized performance and leadership advisor who partners with elite sport coaches, executives, and high performers to help them thrive using practical tools, systems, and mindset frameworks.
219 Episodes
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Mistakes are inevitable in sport, but too often performers get derailed when they allow those mistakes to snowball. In this episode, we explore a key statistic from the best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, called the bounce-back stat. We break down what causes mistakes to spiral and how athletes and leaders can develop the skill of bouncing back quickly. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for...
How often do you carry something long after the moment has passed? In this episode, Zach shares a powerful parable about two monks that reveals how easily we hold onto unhelpful thoughts. You’ll learn how to separate the event from the story, why release is a skill high performers develop, and how one simple idea ("The Invisible Backpack") can help lighten the load. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up...
After his conversation with Dr. Paul Zak, Zach dives deeper into the science of trust and what it means for coaches and leaders. Drawing from Zak’s research on oxytocin and high-trust organizations, this After the Whistle episode explores eight leadership behaviors that strengthen connection and performance inside teams. If you want to build a culture where people feel trusted, valued, and motivated to give their best, this episode offers a practical framework to start. Learn More About Zach:...
Today I'm joined by Dr. Paul Zak, a distinguished university professor at Claremont Graduate University, a pioneer in the science of trust, and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neurobiology of human connection. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is ranked in the top 0.3% of the most cited scientists globally. Over the course of his career, Dr. Zak has published groundbreaking research on trust, oxytocin, and the biological foundations of cooperation, lea...
In a world obsessed with shortcuts and hacks, the reality is the path to mastery is often much simpler (and much harder) than we'd like to believe. Regardless of your industry or chosen craft, a universal and timeless principle is that greatness is usually built through an accumulation of a lot of purposeful reps and effort. Inspired by a story with comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld, this episode offers a reminder to all of us to keep working so the results eventually compound for us. Learn More A...
Have you ever had a moment with someone you know where something just felt off? Maybe their tone was different, their energy seemed lower, or they reacted in a way that didn’t quite match who they normally are. In this episode, Zach explores why understanding someone’s “normal” is a valuable skill for coaches and how great leaders become pattern recognizers. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a f...
Obsession often fuels excellence, but what happens when the thing that makes you great becomes the only thing that defines you? In this episode, Zach reflects on his conversation with former Division I head coach Matt Doherty and explores the tension between an all-in obsession with your craft and your identity. How do we pursue mastery without tying our entire sense of self to something we can lose? This episode is a deeper look at identity, ambition, and building a foundation beyond your jo...
In this episode of Win More, Live Better, Zach sits down with Coach Matt Doherty, an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Division I head coach for a candid conversation on leadership and the art of rebounding forward. Matt’s leadership journey began as a starter on the 1982 National Championship team at North Carolina, playing alongside Michael Jordan under the legendary Dean Smith. He later became the Head Coach at Notre Dame and North Carolina, leading UNC to the 2001 AC...
If the people you lead anonymously graded you today, what would they say? Every year, the NFL Players Association surveys players across the league. While organizations are graded on dozens of categories, head coaches are evaluated on only two components. In this episode, we break down what that means for coaches, executives, and leaders at every level including practical audits you can run immediately to improve buy-in and commitment inside your organization. Learn More About Zach: If you’re...
More choices don't always help us make better decisions. In fact, most of the time, more choices not only hinders our speed with decision-making, it can also hinder our commitment to them. Drawing inspiration from Hick’s Law, Zach explores how cognitive overload can slow reaction time and undermine trust. If you’ve ever seen athletes hesitate under pressure, this episode will invite you to rethink complexity, commitment, and the power of simplicity in execution. Learn More About Zach: If you’...
When Snoop Dogg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said something that caught people off guard. In this episode, we unpack his lesson on gratitude and why high performers often forget to recognize one critical source of strength. If you’re a coach, athlete, or leader who constantly raises the bar but rarely pauses to acknowledge what you've achieved, this conversation will challenge how you think about gratitude. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for...
Most coaches don’t burn out from workload, but rather because they get disconnected from their purpose and why they're coaching in the first place. In this After the Whistle segment, Zach unpacks Tracy Slusser’s perspective on proactively defining your leadership identity before the “house is on fire.” Discover how clarifying your mission, values, and principles can anchor you during chaotic seasons and help you sustain energy, purpose, and impact over the long run. Learn More About Zac...
In today's episode of Win More, Live Better, I sit down with Tracy Slusser, an executive leadership and performance coach and former collegiate and international swim coach. For more than 20 years, Tracy lived inside Division I athletics, which started as a student-athlete at Purdue University, then led to 17 years coaching at the highest levels in the sport of swimming. She coached three National Championship teams, represented the United States as a National Team coach, and worked wit...
We’ve been told that comparison is the thief of joy, but I’d actually argue some forms of comparison are useful. In this episode, I break down the difference between sideways vs. backwards comparison and why the latter can help us build confidence. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycallFor mo...
Inspired by the book, Through the Looking Glass, the Red Queen effect explains why any species (including humans) must adapt and evolve to not just survive, but to also stay ahead. In sport and life, sometimes it feels like our skills and progress plateau, but we forget that those around us are striving to improve every day too. In competitive environments where everyone is improving, effort alone rarely creates separation. True advantage comes from accelerating learning, integrating resource...
On this "After the Whistle" segment, Zach unpacks why ambiguity creates tension in teams and how transparency reduces interference. Building off his conversation with Georgetown Head Baseball Coach Edwin Thompson, this episode explores the psychology of uncertainty, why “maybe” can feel worse than bad news, and three practical ways leaders can create clarity around standards, decisions, and expectations to build trust and unlock performance. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader ...
Today's guest is Georgetown University Head Baseball Coach, Edwin Thompson. Since taking over the Georgetown program in 2020, Thompson has led the Hoyas through the most successful stretch in school history, highlighted by a record-setting 36-win season in 2024. Under his leadership, Georgetown has produced BIG EAST Player and Pitcher of the Year honorees, multiple first- and second-team all-conference selections, and back-to-back MLB Draft picks. Before leading the Hoyas, Thompson served as ...
Most of us try to avoid losing, but if you want to become an elite performer you're better of learning how to leverage it. Inspired by Josh Waitzkin and his book, The Art of Learning, this episode explores how elite performers reframe failure as a deposit into future growth. Learn how to process losses productively, avoid the hidden cost of playing it safe, and turn setbacks into growth. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfi...
When we're preparing to experience something new, many of us default to seeking wisdom from others (directly or indirectly) to prepare ourselves accordingly. But some lessons in life, sport, and leadership have to be acquired through first-hand experience. So if you’re stepping into a new season, role, or challenge, this episode will help you understand why some of the most important lessons in leadership can’t be pre-packaged. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for m...
In pursuit of mastery, good luck not experiencing failure along the way. This episode is a reminder that losing and failure will be inevitable in sport (and in life), but how you recover and bounce-back from it is a trainable skill. As an extension of my guest interview with USA Men's Head Volleyball Coach, Karch Kiraly, this episode is a glimpse into essential three strategies for managing failure more effectively. Learn More About Zach: If you’re a coach or leader striving for m...
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