The Strength In Numbers Podcast

John Bloom
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Coaching is more than just X’s and O’s—it’s about the principles, philosophies, and mindset that shape great leaders. Building on the ideas from the book "Strength In Numbers," this podcast brings together top coaches from across the sports world (and beyond) who are driven to learn, grow, and lead with purpose. Through in-depth conversations, we’ll explore how elite coaches think, operate, and make decisions for long-term success. Whether you’re a coach, leader, or lifelong learner, this podcast is your mentorship playbook—helping you be your best while building a career that lasts.

  1. 10h ago

    EP 68: 8 Things I’d Do Differently As An Athlete

    In this episode, I run a thought experiment: “If you knew what you know now back when you were an athlete, what would you do differently? And does that inform your decision making for your athletes now in any way?” I dive into the 8 things I’d change when thinking about this question. This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

  2. Aug 11

    EP 67: Doug Crandall | Becoming a Builder of People

    Doug Crandall, VP and Head of Teaching at the Referent Group, joins the show to break down the ideas behind his newest book, Building or Diminishing. Doug previously taught leadership at West Point, where he won the Excellence in Teaching Award, and has co-authored four books before this one. We dive into the core premise of the book, that with every action we're either building or diminishing the people around us, and unpack Doug's four leadership archetypes: builder, driver, cheerleader, and belittler. We explore what separates a driver or cheerleader from a true builder, and why holding a high standard and pouring into your people aren't opposing forces, they're both required. We also talk about the authenticity and vulnerability it takes to lead this way, and why this conversation is one that can genuinely shift how you show up in your day-to-day interactions with the people you lead. You can grab a copy of Doug’s new book right here: https://a.co/d/05tz2oRR 🔗Check out more from Doug 👇 Building or Diminishing | Doug Crandall    This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:26 Doug's Path from West Point to the Referent Group 05:36 Breaking Down the Four Leadership Archetypes 09:00 Holding a High Standard While Building People Up 14:39 What Pulls Builders Back Toward Driver or Cheerleader 21:02 Concrete Steps for Moving from Driver to Builder 25:54 Keeping Athletes in the Moment vs. Pulling Them Forward 28:52 Leaders Cast a Larger Shadow Than They Realize 35:22 Leadership as an Accumulation of Small Moments 41:09 The "Never Met a Bad Cadet" Story 45:03 The Pygmalion Effect and the Danger of Judging Intent 49:51 Building a Builder Culture Across a Team or Program 52:08 Balancing Vulnerability as a Leader 58:10 The One Lesson Doug Hopes His Kids Take From the Book 01:01:35 When Doug Feels Closest to His Purpose

  3. Aug 4

    EP 66: Erika Lambert | The People Are The Job

    Erika Lambert, Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of North Florida entering her fourth season, joins the show to reflect on what she's learned making the jump from a 15-year assistant career into leading her own program. We dive into why she builds in non-negotiable time to think and plan each week, how she's learned to delegate recruiting and other responsibilities she used to own herself, and why "the people are the job" has become her filter for a to-do list that never actually ends. Coach Lambert also breaks down how she built a weekly hour into her limited practice-time budget to make her program's five core values a living part of the culture rather than words on a wall, and walks through why her hardest leadership decisions have come through roster management. We also get into the balancing act of coaching and parenting and trying to find how much to push your kids in their sports.  🔗Check out more from Coach Lambert 👇 Instagram: @OspreysWBB @Coach_lambert @Momsincoaching   This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:02 Assistant to Head Coach: What Actually Changes 05:35 Building In Time to Think Amid the Chaos 08:52 "The People Are The Job" 12:54 Learning to Delegate as a Head Coach 16:04 Showing Your Staff What You Want, Not Just Telling Them 18:42 Recruiting for Character and Fit 20:57 Turning Core Values Into a Living Culture 30:44 The Hardest Decision: Rebuilding the Roster the Right Way 38:51 Coaching, Parenting, and Knowing How Hard to Push 51:14 The Sleeping Bags at the Track 53:16 Closest to Purpose: Coaching as Ministry

  4. Jul 28

    EP 65: Leddy French | How to Build True COD Adaptations and Sensory Motor Capacities

    Leddy French, Director of Athletic Development at Elite Performance in Frisco, Texas, joins the show to break down how he builds athletes at every level. After starting his career at APEC and launching his own training company, Leddy reunited with Mason Hays (EP 54) to help build Elite Performance's large-scale operation inside The Star. We dive into his variability model for training and how he balances high-output work with variable stimuli to build physical outputs and the ability to express them. Leddy also breaks down how to actually overload change of direction drills and create a real training adaptation.  Leddy gets into why the warm-up is so important for him, how he defines “sensory motor capacity” as a trainable skill, and his approach to youth training. We also talk about how to drive people to want to train with you in the private sector, the lessons he took from Bobby Stroupe at APEC, and how to balance giving clients what they want with what they need. 🔗Check out more from Leddy 👇 Instagram: @lf2performance  This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 01:21 Influence of APEC and early experiences in performance training 07:18 Adapting training when starting own facility 09:45 Creative resourcefulness with minimal equipment 11:25 Balancing perception and training effectiveness 16:27 Stable vs. variable training stimuli 18:14 Expression of physical capacities through dynamic tasks 20:46 Using variability to enhance change of direction 23:38 Training youth athletes and building sensory motor capacity 25:40 Warm-up strategies and engagement 33:46 Change of direction drills as expression of ability 37:43 Adding external load and velocity to training 42:51 Ensuring training stimulates true adaptation 52:32 The importance of training perception and challenge 01:00:03 Balancing training complexity and athlete engagement 01:07:35 Optimizing short-term athlete development 01:15:40 Commanding attention from the start

  5. Jul 21

    EP 64: Chico Morales | Building a One-Stop Shop for Athletes

    Chico Morales, VP of Operations and Director of Performance at Built 4 It, joins the show to share how he rose from PT tech to running two multidisciplinary facilities in the DFW area. Built 4 It brings performance training and medical services under one roof, and Chico has been there since he was the company's first employee in 2020. We dive into how Built 4 It's medical and performance sides work together so athletes never have to leave the building for treatment, how Chico structures training across youth, high school, adult, and pro populations, and the deceleration and single-leg work he prioritizes to fill the gaps within the private sector.  We also talk about how Chico quickly rose from assistant trainer to Director of Performance and VP of Operations, how he approaches staff development, and how Built 4 It has intentionally grown their culture and community across two facilities.  🔗Check out more from Chico 👇 Instagram: @chico_performance12 @built4it_official  This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 03:02 Building Built For It: Growth and facilities 04:22 Holistic model: Medical and performance integration 05:50 Transition from PT to coaching 09:47 Rapid growth and leadership at Built For It 12:26 Staff development and intern training 14:47 Self-development and industry evolution 17:58 Youth training programs and age brackets 20:25 Filling gaps in high school athlete development 23:02 Technical vs. drill-based training 24:46 8-week training programs and measurable results 25:33 Group programming and scheduling 27:24 Roles beyond coaching: Operations and management 30:19 Managing multiple facilities and travel 32:12 In-house medical and performance collaboration 34:00 Building long-term athlete relationships 36:28 Community and culture at Built For It 39:20 Expanding to new markets and international opportunities 50:29 Influences from athletic coaching and leadership 54:01 Common mistakes in athlete development 57:26 Advice for young trainers and industry newcomers 01:00:41 Balancing faith, family, and career

  6. Jul 14

    EP 63: Why I Changed My Programming System Twice in 4 Months

    In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my own programming and why I’ve completely overhauled my system twice in the last four months. I break down what I started with, what I changed it to, and then how I changed it again four weeks ago. This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here].

  7. Jul 7

    EP 62: Chase Sanders | The Highest Human Act Is To Inspire

    Chase Sanders, owner of Chasing Strength and the strength coach for football and baseball at Damien High School, joins the show to share lessons from coaching across the high school, collegiate, and private sector settings. After spending six years as Director of Strength and Conditioning at Cal Poly Pomona and learning under an elite staff at Utah State, Chase brings a unique perspective on athlete development and coaching. We dive into his approach to training youth athletes, why he believes coaches should chase adaptation rather than novelty, and the experiences that shaped his coaching philosophy. Chase also shares how he built Chasing Strength from his garage and the deeper purpose that continues to drive and inspire him. 🔗Check out more from Chase 👇 Instagram: @chasing_strength7 This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Chase's Path to Sports Performance Coaching 07:00 Building a Sports Performance Program from Scratch 10:02 Establishing a Training Culture and Coaching Development 17:56 Lessons from Elite Coaches and the Importance of Standards 19:54 Comparing College, Private Sector, and High School Coaching 25:23 Transitioning to Private Coaching 30:26 Building Relationships in Coaching 35:34 Navigating Business Logistics 42:44 Vision for the Future 48:18 Balancing Business and Coaching 51:21 The Importance of Consistency in Training 54:55 Educating Parents and Athletes 01:00:41 Inspiration and Personal Growth 01:06:47 Work-Life Balance and Prioritizing Family

  8. Jun 30

    EP 61: Will Graham | Programming, Performance, and Career Growth

    Will Graham, Director of Performance for Men's Basketball at Stony Brook University, joins the show to discuss his transition into a new role after spending the past seven years at Liberty University and four years in the private sector at APEC. We dive into what attracted Will to Stony Brook, the first steps he's taking to build relationships and establish his program, and the lessons he's carrying with him from both the private and collegiate sectors. We also discuss his weekly programming structure, the skills that translated most from the private sector to college athletics, and his perspective on efficient versus effective movement. 🔗Check out more from Will 👇 Instagram: @coachgraham_ @train_pursuit  This podcast evolved from my book, Strength In Numbers — the ultimate mentorship guide for coaches. Featuring insights from 100+ ELITE coaches across every level and sport, it’s an encyclopedia of coaching wisdom built to help you grow your career, navigate failure, and find long-term coaching success. 👉 Grab your copy of Strength In Numbers [by clicking here]. Chapters 00:57 Journey into Coaching and Sports 05:07 Transitioning from Private to College Coaching 10:01 Skills Developed in the Private Sector 16:06 Building Relationships and Team Dynamics 19:08 The Decision to Move to Stony Brook 23:05 Preparing for a New Role at Stony Brook 26:58 Program Structure and Training Philosophy 28:29 Training Methodology and Positioning in Basketball 31:11 Adapting Training for Individual Needs 33:19 Integrating Holistic Approaches in Coaching 37:20 Proactive Problem Solving in Coaching 39:40 Understanding Second and Third Order Consequences 45:16 Balancing Efficiency and Effectiveness in Movement 49:51 Reflections on Coaching Journey and Development

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About

Coaching is more than just X’s and O’s—it’s about the principles, philosophies, and mindset that shape great leaders. Building on the ideas from the book "Strength In Numbers," this podcast brings together top coaches from across the sports world (and beyond) who are driven to learn, grow, and lead with purpose. Through in-depth conversations, we’ll explore how elite coaches think, operate, and make decisions for long-term success. Whether you’re a coach, leader, or lifelong learner, this podcast is your mentorship playbook—helping you be your best while building a career that lasts.

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