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. 5d ago

    EP 74: Hunter Eisenhower | Losing the Logo, Building an Anti-Fragile Career

    Hunter Eisenhower, CEO of The Force System, co-creator of Force IQ, and co-host of the Move the Needle podcast, joins the show to talk about losing his dream job and what he had already built to absorb it. Hunter spent three years as the Associate Head Coach for Sports Performance with Men's Basketball at Arizona State before getting the call earlier this year that he wouldn't be returning. Hunter is elite in all things sports performance, but this conversation goes almost nowhere near the X's and O's. We dive into the day he found out, the perspective his three-year-old daughter gave him that same night, why he started building something outside the program at ASU, and the advice he has for coaches who want to build anti-fragility into their own careers before they need it.  We also explore his learning process and why he describes it as obsession, the shift from hoarding information to creating with it, why he prioritizes refinement over new input, how he filters which opportunities to say yes to, and how he's intentionally approached social media. Hunter also breaks down what he and Jared Wilson built with Force IQ and the athletic quality he's now convinced is the most important in sports performance. 🔗Check out more from Hunter👇 Instagram: @huntereis_tfs @mtn_perform Website: Move The Needle / Hunter Eisenhower @ Force System  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 04:33 The Call From the Athletic Director 05:46 How His Daughter Reframed His Mindset 07:53 Preparing for the Hot Seat Years in Advance 11:05 Getting Your Dream Job at 28 12:17 The Everest Problem and Moving the Goalpost 17:41 Building Anti-Fragility Into Your Career 20:06 Finding a Niche Beyond Selling Programs 24:00 Information Hoarding vs Creating 27:13 Why the Force System Was Born 29:35 Putting Your Own Ideas Out There 32:05 Inside Force IQ 42:45 Filtering New Opportunities 48:48 Refinement Over New Information 59:26 Nurturing vs Selling 01:03:52 Deceleration and What He's Obsessed With Now

  2. Sep 29

    EP 73: Richard Burnett | Vibe Coding for Meatheads

    Richard Burnett, Director of Athletic Development at Triple F Elite Sports Training in Knoxville, creator of the Plyomat, and founder of the Building Assessment Systems Coaches Cohort, returns to the show to break down how AI has completely rebuilt his player profiling system. Rich built the most elite profiling system in the country out of Google Sheets, and in a matter of months he rebuilt the entire thing into a live system with its own app, database, and automated reporting.  We dive into the three phases of his system (intake, intel, and insight), how he now delivers a four page report to a parent's inbox before they leave the assessment, and how a system like this lets you get real value out of your data without drowning in the time it takes to process it. Rich also breaks down what to think about when choosing your tests, why you need to think about the "chaseability" of a test, why he pulled force plate metrics out of his scoring system, and how to build standards and tiers with your data. We also get into when to go deep versus when to stay shallow, building different assessments for different age groups, why you have to own the rubric instead of letting AI make those calls for you, and exactly where to start if you are feeling overwhelmed by all of it. 🔗Check out more from Rich 👇 Instagram: @richardburnett @triplefknoxville @plyomat_att Building Assessment Systems Coaches Cohort (next cohort starts Friday, October 9): click here 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 02:58 Systems First, AI Second 05:45 Intake, Intel, and Insight 10:01 From Google Sheets to an AI Built System 13:41 Comparing Athletes Against Your Own Population 15:02 Delivering the Report Before They Leave the Building 19:52 Removing the Friction Between Data and Coaching 22:03 Assessment Data vs. Session Data 28:12 The Chaseability of a Test 30:59 Why Force Plate Metrics Left the Scoring System 36:03 When to Go Deep and When to Stay Shallow 39:42 Different Assessments for Different Ages 41:36 Building Standards With Limited Data 48:36 Owning the Rubric Instead of Handing It to AI 49:47 Where to Start If You Feel Overwhelmed 53:41 Athlete Data, Privacy, and Caution 56:08 Changes for the Next Cohort

  3. Sep 22

    EP 72: Business of Strength Retreat | Raise the Standard, Outlast Everyone (Burnard, Orr, Chapman, Corrasa)

    Recorded live in Park City, Utah, our first ever in-person episode brings together Blair Orr (LEAD), Blake Burnard (Grindhaus), Chase Chapman (Grindhaus), and Brandon Corrasa (LEAD) right after the Business of Strength Gold Medal Standard Retreat. We break down what was most impactful over the weekend, including how to create story-worthy moments for your clients, raising the standards you hold yourself, your staff, and your athletes to, knowing when to fire staff and how to hire to your values, and training your staff on communication standards. We also dive into takeaways from Bobby Maximus's talk on social media and content, the inflection points that helped their gyms turn pro, the mindset it takes to weather the storm of entrepreneurship when everything feels like it's falling apart, and how to attract members who align with your culture and handle the ones who don't. Stick around after the end credits for a good word we shared once the mics were off. 🔗Check out more from the crew 👇 Blair Orr: @lead.blair @leadperformance Blake Bernard: @blakeburnardcoaching @grindhaus_sc Chase Chapman: @chase_chapman15 Brandon Corrasa: @brandon_corrasa 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]. 00:00 Intro 02:55 Biggest Takeaways From the Retreat 05:44 Professionalism and Follow-Through 08:23 Training Staff on Communication Standards 11:58 Holding the Standard Every Time 21:11 Enforcing Standards and Knowing When to Fire 22:50 Attracting Members Who Fit Your Culture 28:37 Handling Members Who Don't Fit 35:11 Creating Story-Worthy Moments 41:59 Bobby Maximus on Social Media and Content 46:41 Inflection Points That Helped Them Turn Pro 53:51 Weathering the Storm of Entrepreneurship 01:05:55 Delegation and Leading With Clarity 01:17:23 Bonus: Faith and Business

  4. Sep 15

    EP 71: Henry Barrera | The Soul of Performance, Curiosity, and Journaling

    Henry Barrera, Strength and Conditioning Coach for Men's Basketball at the University of Alabama, joins the show for a conversation on learning, communication, failure, and purpose. Henry has been part of multiple SEC championships, an Elite Eight run, and the program's first-ever trip to the Final Four, and before Alabama he spent seven years at Liberty winning three conference championships and the school's first NCAA Tournament victory. But this conversation is less about training and more about how Henry thinks. He may be the most curious coach in the profession, and he takes the best notes and journals in the country. We dive deep into his system for actionable learning, how he uses filters and frameworks to cut through information overload, his process for "journal diving" and returning to what he wrote, the power of sticky language, and how coaches develop the ability to command a room. We also get into why creating opportunities for failure matters and how he builds that into the weight room, his vision for a Director of Learning and Development role on a staff, and the "Soul of Performance" idea he's writing about right now: why gifted athletes make it or don't, and what the rest of us can learn from them. 🔗Check out more from Henry👇 Instagram: @HoopDiaries 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 03:51 Born Curious: What Drives His Learning 05:08 Serving Athletes as the Engine for Curiosity 07:06 Filters, Frameworks, and Information Overload 08:27 Journal Diving and the Analog-Digital System 12:48 Learning to Love Reading 16:17 The Director of Learning and Development Role 19:17 Communication as the Biggest Limiter 20:25 What Teaching Taught Him About Coaching 22:35 Sticky Language and the Deaf Man and the Blind Man 24:21 Building the Ability to Command a Room 28:48 Bandwidth, Drip Feed, and When to Use Your Voice 29:43 Creating Opportunities for Failure 37:11 Data, Feedback, and Pushing Into AI 40:29 Perspective Through Loss 42:55 Lessons From Fatherhood 47:58 What His Own Playing Career Taught Him 49:52 The Soul of Performance

  5. Sep 1

    EP 70: Sean Hayes | Make Yourself Irreplaceable

    Sean Hayes, Director of Athletic Performance for Volleyball, Men’s Tennis, and Men’s Swimming at the University of Georgia, joins the show in his 17th season with the Bulldogs. Coach Hayes spent more than a decade with Men’s Basketball at Georgia, and his path also includes stops with the Buffalo Bills, Clemson, Harvard, and Tulsa. We dive into what he learned running 41 teams by himself as the first Director at Harvard, the wake-up call Mike Boyle delivered to him as an intern, how he kickstarts his own self-discipline after 30 years in the field, and why he set a goal to back squat 315 before his daughter graduated. Coach Hayes also breaks down how he has stayed at Georgia for seventeen years and why he has chosen to stay, what he learned adapting to a coaching change, the importance of letting career progression happen organically, and why you should work to make yourself irreplaceable wherever you are. We also get into laser focused prioritization, why he leans on his staff instead of trying to have all the answers, the changes he has made to his volleyball team's training this season with post-practice lifting, and the honest reflection on what he sacrificed with his oldest daughter along the way. 🔗Check out more from Coach Hayes👇 Instagram: @coachshayes 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 02:57 Seventeen Years at Georgia and the Path There 04:20 Running 41 Sports Solo at Harvard 09:38 Building a Program From Scratch 12:32 What Hard Early Years Teach You 13:53 The Mike Boyle Wake-Up Call 16:54 Kickstarting Your Own Self-Discipline 18:45 Setting a Back Squat Goal at 52 20:41 Finding a Second Mountain 23:59 Why He Has Stayed at Georgia 25:34 Not Tying Your Identity to the Sport You Work With 26:50 Ingraining Yourself in the Department 28:52 Keeping Ego Out of Career Decisions 31:23 Adapting to a Coaching Change 36:24 Turning Defensiveness Into Growth 39:18 Career Advice for Young Coaches in Today's Landscape 44:42 Make Yourself Irreplaceable 46:09 Goal Setting and Laser Focused Prioritization 49:18 Changing Volleyball Training to Post-Practice Lifting 52:02 Reflection, Vulnerability, and Leaning on Staff 54:41 Isometrics, Plyos, and Getting Uncomfortable 59:59 What Helped His Career but Cost Him at Home 01:03:52 When He Is Closest to His Purpose

  6. Aug 25

    EP 69: Tony Rossi | Running Multiple Departments and Marathons

    Tony Rossi, Assistant AD of Health, Wellness, and Performance at Oral Roberts University, joins the show to break down his move into an admin role after serving as the Director of Sports Medicine. We dive into how he elevated into the admin role, the biggest adjustments and new skills he's had to learn, and how he manages and leads a staff in a setting that carries a high turnover rate at the low major level. Tony also explains how he approached the initial conversations with the sports performance staff and why one of his goals is to detach performance coaches from their sport coaches when it comes to job security. We also get into Tony's own training, including how he started competing in marathons and triathlons, the mental performance benefits that come from truly committing to training for something rather than just training to train, and why every coach needs a second mountain to climb beyond their career. 🔗Check out more from Tony👇 Instagram: @tonyjrossi  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 05:47 Elevating Into the Assistant AD Role 07:55 The Athletics Healthcare Administrator Role 10:46 Leading a Staff With High Turnover 13:01 Detaching Strength Coaches From Sport Coaches 15:22 When a New Head Coach Wants Their Own Guy 19:04 Earning Buy-In From the Sports Performance Staff 24:25 Biggest Adjustments and Skills to Build 26:23 SOPs, Roles, and Needs Assessments 29:43 Hiring and Evaluating the Right Fit 34:16 A Game Plan for Getting Into Administration 37:28 From Two-Mile Runs to Triathlons 41:52 Why You Need a Second Mountain 45:12 Treating Your Own Body Like an Experiment 49:24 Not Every Ache Is a Red Flag

  7. Aug 19

    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].

  8. 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

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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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