COACHABLE

Ric Bucher
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As an accompaniment to Ric Bucher's book, Coachable: How the Greatest Performers Reached Their Highest Potential, this is a series of interviews with performers, coaches, leaders, parents and mentors -- inside and outside of sports -- discussing how to synthesize who and what you want to be with someone else's vision of who and what you can be, to achieve dreams you might've never imagined (or thought were imaginable.) Hosted by Ric Bucher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Sep 4

    Cori Close: Why Winning a National Championship Didn’t Mean She Was Done Being Coached

    What does it mean to be coachable when you’ve already reached the top? In the inaugural episode of Coachable, host Ric Bucher sits down with UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close for a revealing conversation about the people, setbacks and principles that shaped her—and ultimately helped produce a national championship. Close defines coachability as the combination of a “teachable heart” and a growth mindset, then traces that philosophy back to her father, the coaches and mentors who invested in her, and an extraordinary relationship with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. She also explains how a devastating Achilles injury forced her to separate her identity from her performance; why adversity requires entering the “tunnel of chaos”; and how a simple gesture by UC Santa Barbara coach Mark French while she sat in a wheelchair helped plant the seed for her own coaching career. Close takes Ric inside the philosophy behind the broom and shovel she keeps as reminders of servant leadership and “coaching beneath the surface,” and explains why UCLA’s championship team succeeded collectively even when it might not have been the most talented group individually. There’s also a candid discussion about the modern challenges of college athletics: NIL money, WNBA draft projections, playing time, parents, outside noise and talented young athletes who may never have been forced to become coachable. Close explains why families can be essential to building a selfless team—or become one of its biggest obstacles. And after finally reaching the mountaintop? Close did something that perfectly captures the premise of this podcast: she hired a coach for herself. Her challenge now isn't defending UCLA’s championship. As she puts it, the Bruins aren't trying to “run it back.” They're running it forward. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Welcome to Coachable: finding and realizing your greatest potential 00:53 — Introducing UCLA national championship coach Cori Close 03:05 — Close defines coachability: a “teachable heart” and growth mindset 04:15 — Her first coach: what Cori learned from her father 06:03 — Why Close wasn't always coachable with her dad 08:04 — How great coaches and mentors shaped the coach she became 09:54 — The remarkable story of Close's relationship with John Wooden 12:55 — Why she spent 17 years as an assistant before becoming a head coach 15:57 — The Achilles injury that shattered her identity—and changed her life 18:07 — “Lean into the hard”: why adversity can become an advantage 19:15 — The coach who made an injured Close feel seen and valued 22:01 — The broom and shovel behind UCLA's championship philosophy 25:11 — Coaching beneath the surface and becoming greater together 27:05 — Close discovers John Wooden was right: the journey beats the trophy 28:02 — UCLA's three non-negotiable championship values 29:17 — When UCLA really won the national championship 30:04 — “The Edge”: what happens when talent runs out 30:21 — Parents, recruiting and the challenge of identifying coachable athletes 31:38 — Why greater talent can sometimes mean less coachability 32:15 — Close's message to parents: help us win by surrendering outcomes 33:01 — The WNBA Draft moment that proved UCLA families bought in 33:27 — A veteran's extraordinary example of putting the team first 34:31 — The parenting philosophy Close wishes more families embraced 35:30 — How parents can undermine an athlete's growth—and a team's culture 36:09 — The new challenge: coaching as a defending national champion 36:35 — Why Close hired an executive coach after winning the title 37:03 — What UCLA keeps from a championship season—and what it leaves behind 38:05 — “We're not running it back. We're running it forward.” 38:53 — Balancing struggle, joy and championship expectations 39:47 — Ric and Cori close out the inaugural episode #Coachable #CoriClose #RicBucher #UCLA #UCLAWomensBasketball #CollegeBasketball #WomensBasketball #Leadership #Coaching #GrowthMindset #JohnWooden Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  • 1 Episode

About

As an accompaniment to Ric Bucher's book, Coachable: How the Greatest Performers Reached Their Highest Potential, this is a series of interviews with performers, coaches, leaders, parents and mentors -- inside and outside of sports -- discussing how to synthesize who and what you want to be with someone else's vision of who and what you can be, to achieve dreams you might've never imagined (or thought were imaginable.) Hosted by Ric Bucher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Ric Bucher
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ric Bucher
  • Show Website
    COACHABLE