Coachable Players

In this episode, we sit down with Drew Simpson, a former youth wrestling stud who would take his athletic talents to the University of Kentucky. This top recruit's collegiate career was cut short when UK ended its wrestling program. Now what???

With Plan A gone, Drew would eventually make his way to northeast Pennsylvania and become a carpenter. During this conversation, Drew discusses his journey from wrestling to construction, foc...

This episode of the Coachable Players Podcast features Noble 'Bud' Quandel, Chairman of Quandel Enterprises, a company founded in 1882. When Bud joined Quandel around fifty years ago, they were doing about one million dollars and he helped direct its growth to where it is today at nearly $500 million annually. 

Before Bud was a highly respected construction executive, he was a youth athlete playing sports in Minersville...

In this episode, Coachable Players welcomes Coach Kaleigh Badecki, a women's basketball coach at Gettysburg College for the past ten years. 

Coach Badecki sets the stage by first defining coachability as embracing constructive criticism, having a growth mindset and understanding that mistakes are opportunities to learn rather than failures. She explained that coachable athletes demonstrate humility, actively seek feedback and s...

The Coachable Players Podcast sits down with Nate Davis, Gettysburg College women's basketball coach and former Marine. 

In this interview, Coach Nate shares how his Marine Corps experience shaped his leadership approach as a coach, discussing principles like trust, accountability and mental toughness that translate directly from military service to building championship teams. The discussion explored what makes players "coacha...

In this episode Messiah College Women's Basketball Coach Mike Miller talks about culture building, recruiting and leadership development at this DIII powerhouse.

With 40 years of coaching, Coach Miller explains how he looks for three key traits in recruits: skill and athletic ability, work rate and positive personality, with particular emphasis on finding players who want to grow in their faith. He discusses how Messiah focuses on d...

The Coachable Players talks about the James Harrison iconic interception return during the 2009 Super Bowl. This play demonstrates the importance of being coachable in both sports and professional life. Steelers Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau's repeated message about "defense playing offense" throughout the season ultimately led to Harrison's successful return that changed the game's momentum. 

This episode emphasizes that t...

This episode breaks down the core ideas from The Four Agreements and connects them to what it really means to be coachable in sports, business, and life. It highlights four simple but powerful principles - being intentional with your words, not taking things personally, avoiding assumptions, and always doing your best - and explains how each one can improve mindset, communication, and performance. The episode focuses on how adoptin...

We’re excited to bring you something a little different—and incredibly impactful.

Coachable Players hosted a special livestream interview paired with a live music performance, featuring a former college football player who has built a powerful second act as a gym owner, cheer coach, and musician. Scott 'Crasher' Braasch brought the wisdom about reaching young minds today in coaching plus he sang some good tunes t...

The Coachable Players sits down with Bill Swan, a retired high school basketball coach from Hempfield Area High School in Westmoreland County who coached for 36 years. Bill talks about the players he'll never forget.

Bill has coached a lot of basketball and has coached a lot of players. When asked about the players he'll never forget, Bill thought of a few right away, three players who were the third/youngest brothers from different...

What separates good people from great teammates and coworkers? 

In this episode we introduce the Coachable Self-Assessment Test, designed to help athletes and young professionals better understand their coachability. College coaches and employers aren't just looking for talent - they're looking for individuals who can take feedback, adapt and contribute to a team.

You'll hear sample questions from the assessment and learn how yo...

This episode of the Coachable Players Podcast focuses on the importance of being coachable and introduces a simple tool called the 3-2-1 Game Journal for athletes and professionals to improve their performance and reflection.

I explain that journaling helps athletes focus, retain techniques and enjoy their sport more by processing experiences rather than reacting emotionally. 

The 3-2-1 Game Journal framework:

• Jot down three ...

In this episode, I open up, sharing my journey from growing up in a sports-obsessed home to becoming a business leader in Pennsylvania's construction industry. I highlight five key mindset shifts that transformed my athletic approach into effective leadership skills. I discuss how resilience, discipline, growth mindset, team-first leadership and process-oriented thinking helped me transition from the weekend athlete to Executive Di...

Rob Smith joins me to talk about how about being coachable extends beyond sports into the construction industry. 

Rob Smith is the Executive Director/ Chief Administration Officer for the Eastern Atlantic States (EAS) Carpenters Technical Centers. The EAS Carpenters represents over 43,000 workers in six states (PA, NJ, DE, MD, WV and VA). The EAS Carpenters NO DEBT apprentice training is the standard, ensuring workers have the ...

In this episode of the Coachable Players Podcast, I chat with Carl Heinlein. Carl is a highly respected safety professional. He works with companies from all industries based all around the country and has the awards and accolades but that's not what he wants to talk about - he wants to talk about the future safety professionals and help them be successful.

In this episode, Carl emphasizes the importance of communication skills and ...

Coachable Players welcomes Brent Darnell, an executive coach who's highly respected around the country. 

In this conversation they dive deep into conversation about leadership, company culture, and emotional intelligence. Brent uses his background in engineering and leadership development to emphasize the importance of intrinsic motivators, self-determination theory, and the role of leadership in fostering positive company cult...

In this episode, host Jon O’Brien shares his perspective on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to bring in veteran coach Mike McCarthy as their new head coach following Mike Tomlin’s departure. He breaks down what McCarthy’s hiring could mean for the team — touching on his experience, ties to Pittsburgh, and the reactions from fans and analysts, and reflects on how this move fits into the Steelers&rsquo...

Lauren Hess shares her journey from childhood through college softball, discussing how the sport helped develop her organizational skills and leadership abilities and building valuable connections along the way with groups like the Keystone Contractors Association. (Lauren was a 2022 KCA Scholarship recipient)

A Penn State Harrisburg college softball player, Lauren discusses how the sport helped her develop her time management skill...

There are parallels between sports coaching and construction industry practices and in this episode Chris Lelevee chats with Jon about his perspective. They discuss the importance of coachability in recruitment and personal development, including challenges in working with uncoachable individuals and the value of mentorship and leadership structures. The conversation features reflections on respect, leadership, and the changing nat...

In this episode, we dive into what truly drives athletic success - the process, the relationships, and the mindset behind the goals. Coachable Players host Jon sits down with Northern High School head wrestling coach Cory Johnson to explore how goal-setting, accountability and personal growth can shape athletes far beyond the win column.

Cory shares his journey to leading Northern to last season's division championship and his relat...