Bret Burchard, NBA G-League Coach & Founder of ChampionShift: Developing the Mindset of A Champion

Coaching Coaches

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My guest today is Bret Burchard, co-founder of the mindset development company ChampionShift and co-author of “Catching Confetti: Developing the Mindset of a Champion." For the last 10 seasons, he has worked with the Phoenix Suns in various roles, most recently as a development coach and the head coach of their G League team.

In this episode, we discuss his coaching experience with the Phoenix Suns and what piqued his interested to dive head first into the mental performance aspect of coaching and player development. He gives some background on his book and course that he started this year, both of which are designed to help coaches improve their mental game. We dig into some of the different mindsets he believes top performers have and how you can both develop them yourself and instill them within your players. For any coach who wants to improve their mental game, this episode is a must listen.

Show Notes:

(1:21) - What led him into coaching

(3:00) - What it was like to be part of Taylor University’s “Silent Night”

(4:45) - What piqued his interest in the mental performance side of coaching

(7:30) - An overview of his book

(9:12) - The issue with people attaching their identity to performance

(16:00) - The mindsets he discusses in his book

(20:22) - Some of the mindsets coaches have embraced the most

(23:10) - Best practices for goal setting

(27:29) - Helping players navigate their fears and vulnerabilities

(30:55) - How to encourage competition without comparison

(34:22) - Overview of his course

(41:35) - His mentor and Dad embracing the ideas in his book

(41:35) - Where to go to learn more: Website | Book

(43:15) - End of episode questions

End of Episode Questions:

1. What’s 1 book every coach should read?

• The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

• The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance by Steven Kotler

2. Who is one person you’d want to hear as a guest on this podcast?

• Chris McAlister

3. What’s one area you’re looking to improve in over the next year?

• Improve in communicating with players about your vision

4. What’s popular advice you hear people say that you think is wrong?

• You have to play with a chip on your shoulder

5. What advice do you have for young coaches who are listening to this?

• Be more concerned with who you’re becoming than what you achieve.

6. What’s the darkest moment you experienced professionally and how did you overcome it?

• Tying his success as a coach to identity with the Suns in his second year as the Head Coach with the G-League team

Favorite Quotes:

“All suffering reveals the center of your identity.”