50 Cups of Coffee with Bobby Audley Bobby Audley

As the founder and CEO of the TLC Family of Camps and Inns, Jay Jacobs is the majority owner of 3 sleep-away camps, 3 day camps, a preschool and two country inns, one in the Catskill Mts and one in the Poconos. Jay's camps are some of the premier camps in the country. In 1991 Jay co-founded the non-profit SCOPE (Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education). SCOPE funds camp scholarships (camperships) to send kids to camp. From the SCOPE website, "Summer camp is an essential component of the year-round educational continuum and plays a critical role in helping children from underserved communities to thrive. The vast majority of children in low-income communities have little or no access to summer opportunities, resulting in an enormous achievement gap and summer learning loss. SCOPE bridges this gap by making summer camp accessible to as many deserving children as possible." To date SCOPE has sent over 25,000 kids to camps. Additionally in 2001 Jay founded and currently serves as chair of Heal the Children, a program of the American Camp Association that provides free camperships to the children of victims of the 9/11 tragedy. On this episode Bobby and Jay talk exclusively about Jay's success as a camp founder and operator, please know he gives as hard as he works.

Outside of camp Jay is the Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee. We spend the last quarter of this episode asking Jay about how he balances his political duties with his business responsibilities. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you will get a lot out of that part of the episode. Especially if public service is a calling for you while keeping your business or day job alive and thriving.

To learn more about Jay's camps, inns and programs head on over to camptlc.com. For now, enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with Jay Jacobs.

It has been some time since we have recorded a new episode! The reason being is Bobby has experienced a major shift in his work and today's episode is a reflection of that. In October of last year Bobby joined the TLC Family of Camps as a co-Director at Timber Lake West Camp in the Catskill Mountains of NY. On the next episode we will share more information about this new role and more about what Timber Lake West is all about. If you are curious now, head on over to TimberLakeWest.com.

Today on the podcast Bobby has coffee and conversation with summer camp professionals Dave Brown and John Hamilton.

Dave Brown grew up as a camper at Mountain Camp, a co-ed sleep-away summer camp located near Lake Tahoe. Growing up at camp Dave went on to work at camp as a Counselor in Training (CIT), a Junior Counselor and then a Cabin Counselor. After camp Dave went on to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and rejoined Mountain Camp as a year-round director. When not at camp, Dave offers training and consultation for youth-serving organizations such as camps, schools and non-profits through his company Fence Post Learning. Over the past 20 years, Dave has worked directly with children and families in a variety of roles and settings. As a Therapist, Counselor, Camp Director and Trainer. He has worked in treatment centers, schools, nonprofits and summer camps.

John Hamilton is a leader in the camp, out-of-school time (OST) and youth development fields. John currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer for the Alliance for Camp Health whose mission is Working toward healthier camp communities. John has a deep understanding of mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) needs of youth and a hope-filled perspective for our youth. John has a masters in Leadership and Cultural Justice, has been named the American Camp Association’s Subject Matter expert on MESH and Trauma-Informed Care at camp and is a former Executive Director of Camp Alta. From the ACH website, "With perspective from hands-on experience overseeing fifty-plus programs around the country, being onsite at an average of ten different camps per summer, and consulting organizations, John's voice will help restore belief in the future of our work and guide us to discover ways to create healthier summer learning communities."

That right there is why this conversation is so very needed and valuable. Many of you who are regular listeners are coaches and camper directors. Those of you from non-youth serving worlds, I know many of you are parents. When we say we sit down with leaders and we talk about culture and connection, in my opinion there is no better leader than a parent, no better culture than a family and no one better to connect with than a kid.

Please enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with Dave Brown and John Hamilton.

Bobby and Josh have been friends for a decade, Josh is a fellow Salisbury Sea Gull, a mentor to Bobby and a wonderful colleague in the business of sports. Josh Merkel is the Head Coach for the Randolph-Macon College Yellowjackets Men's Basketball team, who is currently the reigning #1 team in DIII basketball. They did not have a DIII NCAA tournament this year due to COVID and RMC ended the season ranked #1! In his 6th season at the helm, Josh's teams have increased their win total each season going 55-6 over the past two seasons, including 30-2 in ODAC play. Coach Merkel has been ODAC Coach of the Year each of the past four seasons and this season was named the Glen Robinson National Coach of the Year. This award is given to the individual voted the top coach in Division III basketball.

Merkel was an assistant at R-MC during the 2010-11 season under former head coach Nathan Davis who is now the Head Coach at Bucknell.

Now in case you think Coach Merkel just inherited a great program at RMC, first of all you will hear that he experienced seasons of losses to start his tenure. And Bobby was there with him for those season. They were not easy. They get into this and why having guys you can lose with in so important to building a winning program.

Before RMC Josh Merkel was the head coach at Salisbury University and in his final season in 2015 he led that team to a 21-8 record and a 14-4 CAC mark. It was the fifth-best record in the 86 years of the program and the first 20-win season since 1996-97. Salisbury set a school record with 14 CAC victories and Josh was named CAC Coach of the Year. The second-seeded Sea Gulls under Coach Merkel won the CAC Championship in 2015 which was the first program title since 1997 and only the second in program history.

Josh Merkel knows how to build a winning culture. And you are about to discover exactly how he does it. Lastly, if you are a young professional or coach looking to reach the level of a Josh Merkel some day, you are going to want to listen to his 50 Cups of Coffee story.

Season 2 is dedicated to the late Coach Ashley Riggs, a UNC tar heel, National Champion, captain under our opening guest for Season 2, Anson Dorrance and friend of the Audley family. Just 3 months ago, Ashley passed away after a long battle with cancer. In honor of Ashley, an annual award is being set up through the UNC Women's Soccer program. This award will be presented annually to a player that demonstrates hard work, perseverance and fight. Monies will also go to sponsoring high school teams and players who otherwise may not be able to afford to attend UNC soccer camp.

Donations can be sent to:
Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer)
PO Box 2446
Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Checks can be made out to Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer) and be sure to put Ashley's name in the memo line.

Please enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with Josh Merkel.

After working with the Seattle Seahawks, the Director of Player Engagement for the Seahawks had this to say about Lainie Hodges and Improv Alchemy, "Imrpov Alchemy rapidly removes the walls that may exist between players, allowing the group to make connections and build relationships more quickly." This perfectly represents why Bobby wanted to grab a cup of coffee with Lainie.

Lainie Hodges is the founder of Improv Alchemy and the second guest focused on the power of improv. A Denver native, Lainie earned her bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise Science from Syracuse University, she earned a master’s degree from the University of Denver and she studied Sport Counseling at San Diego University for Integrative Studies. Lainie studied improvisation at the Magnet Theater (NYC) and Grafenberg Productions (Denver). Her experience includes developmental work within public school systems, private business, criminal justice, and professional athletics.

This episode is quintessential 50 Cups of Coffee. Bobby spends much more time on this episode on Lainie's journey than planned. Her journey is fascinating! And deeply informative. Lainie has served as a Performance Training Consultant for athletic teams at every level of sports, she served as the Player Engagement Coordinator for the NFL working at their corporate offices in NYC (you will love learning how she got that job) and then set out to start her own performance coaching company working with NFL teams such as the Seahawks and the Ravens as well as countless other organizations.

To check out her work head on over to lainiehodges.com.

Season 2 is dedicated to the late Coach Ashley Riggs, a UNC tar heel, National Champion, captain under our opening guest for Season 2, Anson Dorrance and friend of the Audley family. Just 3 months ago, Ashley passed away after a long battle with cancer. In honor of Ashley, an annual award is being set up through the UNC Women's Soccer program. This award will be presented annually to a player that demonstrates hard work, perseverance and fight. Monies will also go to sponsoring high school teams and players who otherwise may not be able to afford to attend UNC soccer camp.

Donations can be sent to:
Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer)
PO Box 2446
Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Checks can be made out to Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer) and be sure to put Ashley's name in the memo line.

For now, enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with Lainie Hodges.

Entering his 28th season as the only coach in Aggie Soccer history, G Guerrieri has built the Texas A&M program from scratch into one of the elite teams in the nation. G is one of the winningest coaches in the history of NCAA Division I soccer. Under his tutelage, Texas A&M is one of only four teams to play in every NCAA Tournament in the last 25 seasons. G has led his teams to 15 Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights and the 2014 NCAA Women's College Cup. Coach G's Aggies have consistently been ranked in the national top 25 over the past 20+ seasons while attracting some of the top soccer players in the world to College Station. And in this episode, G gets into how he attracts this talent.

Coach G ranks fourth all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with 472 wins. He has guided Texas A&M to nine conference regular-season titles and eight conference tournament crowns. G is a four-time conference coach of the year and five-time NSCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. Coach G Guerrieri and our guest from last week, North Carolina's Anson Dorrance are the only two coaches to lead a team to 25 consecutive NCAA Championship tournaments.

With Guerrieri at the helm, Texas A&M has established one of the greatest college soccer atmospheres in the country. The Aggies ranked in the top three in home attendance from 2002-19, including the nation's top attendance in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2018. Furthermore, Guerrieri's teams have won 86 percent of their home matches since the Aggie Soccer Stadium opened in 1994. On this episode G talks about the 12th man tradition at Texas A&M and why he believes fans are so important for creating a winning culture.

In 2019, Texas A&M  was the only NCAA Division I program to receive the freshly minted Team Pinnacle Award, presented by the United Soccer Coaches convention. A total of 17 collegiate women's soccer programs earned the award for the 2018-19 academic year for achieving a high level of fair play, educational excellence and success on the pitch, with the Aggies as the only squad from the top echelon. To be considered for the award, squads had to earn the USC Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award and the USC Team Academic Award as well as register a winning percentage of .750 or higher during the respective season.

Season 2 is dedicated to the late Coach Ashley Riggs, a UNC tar heel, National Champion, captain under our opening guest for Season 2, Anson Dorrance and friend of the Audley family. Ashley and my Dad coached the Cicero North Syracuse High School girls soccer team to a New York State Final Four back in the early 2000's. Just 3 months ago, Ashley passed away after a long battle with cancer. In honor of Ashley, an annual award is being set up through the UNC Women's Soccer program. This award will be presented annually to a player that demonstrates hard work, perseverance and fight. Monies will also go to sponsoring high school teams and players who otherwise may not be able to afford to attend UNC soccer camp.

Donations can be sent to:
Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer)
PO Box 2446
Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Checks can be made out to Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer) and be sure to put Ashley's name in the memo line.

Please enjoy Bobby's cup of coffee with G Guerrieri.

Anson Dorrance has served as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at the University of North Carolina for the past 40+ years. In his tenure Anson has won a staggering 22 Division I National Championships and is the only coach in NCAA history to win 20 championships in a single sport. When ESPN announced its list of the Best Coaches of the Past Quarter Century, Anson was one of only two coaches to make the list from a non-revenue collegiate sport. What else is staggering is the list of iconic players who have learned from Coach Dorrance. To name literally just a few you have Kristine Lilly, Tobin Heath and of course the great Mia Hamm.

Away from North Carolina, Anson pioneered women's soccer on a global stage by leading the first ever US Women's National team to a World Cup Championship in 1991 and in 2008 was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Anson has authored two books, 'Training Soccer Champions' and the recently updated and re-released 'The Vision of a Champion' and hosts a podcast by the same name. His incredible life story is chronicled in the biography by Tim Crothers, 'The Man Watching.'

To attend one of Anson's famous soccer camps for players, teams and coaches go to CarolinaGirlsSoccerCamp.com.

Season 2 of this podcast is dedicated to Tar Heel and friend of the Audley family, Ashley Riggs. Just 3 months ago the UNC soccer family lost a teammate when Ashley Riggs passed away after a long battle with Cancer. Under Anson Dorrance, Ashley was a two time National Champion and a co-captain her senior year. In honor of Ashley, an annual award is being set up through the UNC Women's Soccer program. This award will be presented annually to a player that demonstrates hard work, perseverance and fight. Monies will also go to sponsoring high school teams and players who otherwise may not be able to afford to attend UNC soccer camp.

Donations can be sent to:
Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer)
PO Box 2446
Chapel Hill, NC 27515

Checks can be made out to Educational Foundation (Women's Soccer) and be sure to put Ashley's name in the memo line.

50 Cups of Coffee with Bobby Audley is a production BobbyAudley.com. Head on over there to watch the 50 Cups of Coffee TEDx talk, listen to past episodes of the show and learn how Bobby can help your team or organization. Our theme music and art is by Mattisse Soy.