Erin Matson: The 22-Year Old Player Turned Coach Who Led Her Team To A National Championship

Everybody Pulls The Tarp

This week Andrew talks with University of North Carolina Field Hockey Head Coach Erin Matson. Erin’s story is unlike any you’ve ever heard before. In January 2023, UNC named Erin its field hockey head coach. At the time, she was just 22 years old — and it was just 2 months following her graduation as a student from UNC. Suddenly, she was the head coach for the same program she had just finished starring in as a student athlete. In her first year as a head coach, she went on to lead UNC to a national title — becoming the youngest D1 college head coach to win a national championship. This conversation is for anyone out there who wants to take a bold risk, do something that’s never been done before, & defy conventional wisdom — no matter where you are in your personal or professional journey.

Show Highlights:

0:00 - Intro
4:36 - “I didn’t want to be overlooked”
6:37 - Interview process
8:32 - Finding out she got the job
10:05 - Lessons from Mack Brown
10:34 - Studying leadership
11:01 - Creating your own luck
14:45 - Learning from great performers
16:15 - Performing amidst doubters
20:03 - Transparency & overcommunication
23:10 - Leading by example
24:15 - “They need to know you will fight for them”
24:35 - What it means to be a tarp puller
24:54 - The “garbage can” story
27:26 - The power of details
29:26 - Rewiring thinking from player to coach
34:10 - Listening & tailoring communication
35:25 - Always looking to improve
38:28 - Balancing long-term vision with short-term demands
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