Contacts Coaching Podcast

Justin Clymo

The CONTACTS Coaches Podcast is a digital database of coaching where Coach and Athletic Director Justin Clymo discusses the various aspects of coaching, leadership and life with those he has met along the way.

  1. 2d ago

    Florida Coaches Coalition’s Fight for Fair Pay + Lessons from Coaching Girls Flag Football | James O’Brien

    On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews James O’Brien, regional director of the Florida Coaches Coalition and girls flag football coach at Western High School in Broward County. O’Brien shares his path from playing football (including walking on at the University of Miami in 1995) to working in software, converting to Christianity, and moving into teaching and coaching in 2007 to impact younger people. He explains Florida’s severe underpayment of coaches, high turnover, and the Coalition’s legislative effort that helped pass SB538, which removed barriers preventing booster clubs from funding coaches; implementation is now county-by-county. The conversation also covers head coaching challenges beyond X’s and O’s—culture, accountability, managing parents and bureaucracy, adapting systems to available talent, building team bonding, and coaching people first while using football as a tool. 00:00 Meet Coach James 00:43 From Player to Teacher 02:18 Florida Coaches Coalition 05:26 California Pay Comparison 08:06 Minimum Wage Proposal 10:09 Resources and Momentum 11:12 Coaching Reality Check 12:38 Building an Offense 13:45 Switch to Flag Football 15:04 Culture Over Xs and Os 16:41 Managing Parents and Paperwork 18:15 Adversity as a Coach 19:10 Consistency and Standards 19:49 Culture Over Corners 20:27 Season Flies By 21:09 Compete With Yourself 22:22 Walk On Mindset 23:44 Stealing From Other Sports 26:03 Bonding Builds Champions 28:48 Coach Stress And Growth 33:45 Evolving The System 34:59 Love People First 37:59 Practice As Sanctuary 38:45 Final Thanks And Wrap

    Florida Coaches Coalition’s Fight for Fair Pay + Lessons from Coaching Girls Flag Football | James O’Brien
  2. Sep 30

    Retired AD Dr. Jake Von Scherrer on Listening, Relationships, Networking, & Small-School Challenges

    The episode features the Contacts Coaching Podcast host interviewing retired athletic director and podcast host Dr. Jake Von Scherrer about his path from growing up in Oregon and playing small-college football/track to a 41-year career in education, coaching, and athletic administration, including launching athletics at the Harker School in San Jose and later serving in Florida, where he and his wife finished their careers and retired six years ago. Von Scherrer explains how his COVID-era Florida association presidency led to Zoom webinars, then podcasting, and ultimately his book, The Athletic Director’s Toolbox. Key takeaways he wishes he had earlier include better listening, building relationships, and networking, plus practical strategies for handling parent concerns by calling quickly, partnering with parents, and relying on clear policies. He discusses coaching development, student-athlete leadership teams at Maclay School, small-school roster realities, and changing his view on year-round sports when it’s driven by the student’s passion. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:22 Jake’s Coaching Journey 02:08 Building Harker Athletics 03:09 Roots in Oregon 03:59 Podcast and Book Origins 08:52 Top Tools for ADs 11:54 Listening and Empathy 14:26 Handling Parent Conflicts 18:27 Relationship Building 22:16 Student Athlete Leadership 25:32 Networking Elevator Pitch 27:15 Networking in Action 28:49 Building Your Bench 29:42 Building Staff Pipelines 30:53 Delegating Modern AD Roles 31:29 Creating Event Support Positions 32:44 Networking as an Outsider 33:54 Career Stops and Setbacks 37:13 Mentors and Saying Yes 41:04 Small School Football Realities 46:00 Managing Multi Sport Athletes 48:05 Leading With Service 51:43 Changing Minds on Specialization 54:10 Supporting Tough Family Choices 55:44 Closing and Contact Info  jakestouchdown@gmail.com 305-218-1325

    Retired AD Dr. Jake Von Scherrer on Listening, Relationships, Networking, & Small-School Challenges
  3. Sep 23

    Coach Bill Taylor on Sports Conflict Management: Trust, Emotion Control, and Building Winning Cultures

    Justin interviews Coach Bill Taylor, former NAIA and Division I cross country/track coach and author of a sports conflict management book. Taylor recounts becoming a runner in high school, starting a college program from scratch at Northwest University, winning an NAIA national championship after learning to refocus from results to process, then moving to Belmont and later transforming Lipscomb with 11 conference titles and culture-building initiatives. A major team conflict at Lipscomb—and administrative missteps that escalated it—led him to earn a master’s in conflict management and write a shorter, practical book to fill the sports-specific resource gap. He outlines five core tools: managing emotion, effective communication and active listening, identifying “below the line” interests, creating win-win solutions, and building trust through follow-through, plus the value of clear conflict policies and avoiding email/text for personal issues. 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:46 Bill Taylor Coaching Origin Story 02:03 Starting a College Program 02:45 Chasing and Winning Nationals 03:09 Division I Leap to Lipscomb 04:14 Team Conflict Sparks New Path 06:18 COVID Pivot and Writing Book 09:32 Lessons From Early Head Coaching 11:18 Process Over Results Mindset 16:01 Assistant Coach Perspective 17:59 Building Athlete Belief 21:28 Why Conflict Matters 24:00 Avoiding Conflict Backfires 29:33 Introducing Conflict Tools 30:18 Rewriting the Book 30:46 Skill One Emotion Control 34:51 Skill Two Better Communication 35:14 Listening and Nonverbal Cues 38:02 Avoiding Text and Email 40:33 Skill Three Below the Line 44:52 Skill Four Creative Win Win 48:46 Skill Five Trust Follow Through 51:29 Relationships and Team Culture 54:42 Changing Mind and Conflict Policy 57:40 Where to Find the Book 58:35 Final Thanks and Wrap https://www.sportsconflictlab.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sports_conflict_lab/ https://x.com/Sports_Conflict https://www.amazon.ca/Managing-Sports-Conflict-Bill-Taylor/dp/B0G2ZJT4Q5

    Coach Bill Taylor on Sports Conflict Management: Trust, Emotion Control, and Building Winning Cultures
  4. Sep 9

    UC San Diego Baseball Coach Justin Beck on Going from Player to Coach, Analytics, and Youth Sports

    On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews Justin Beck, assistant coach at UC San Diego, about his path from growing up around baseball with his father Bob Beck, to playing at San José State, transferring to UCSD, and moving into coaching at UCSD, Cal Poly Pomona, and back to UCSD. Beck describes the difficult transition from coaching former teammates, lessons learned from playing for his dad, and how modern tools like True Media and PitchCom have changed positioning, scouting, and in-game communication. He discusses how shifting, increased pitching “stuff,” and approach changes affect hitting, why coaches must develop every player on the roster, and how they create live reps for non-starters. Beck critiques the youth sports travel/showcase economy, urges multi-sport participation and downtime, and explains how UCSD evaluates recruits’ intangibles and character. He closes with how he challenges his own beliefs, including rethinking fastball-focused hitting. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:18 Justin Beck Origin Story 01:32 College Stops and Coaching Path 04:37 Player to Coach Whiplash 08:32 Should New Coaches Leave 11:21 Playing for Dad Lessons 16:13 Shifts and Positioning Analytics 18:55 PitchCom and Dugout Rules 23:37 Modern Hitting and Strikeouts 27:56 Coaching Values Across Programs 31:18 Staying Game Ready 32:23 Live Reps After Weekends 33:48 Sandlot Culture Checks 34:38 Youth Sports Money Trap 40:08 Play Multiple Sports 46:18 Exposure Before Ready 50:52 Showcase Metrics Noise 53:37 Recruiting Intangibles 57:29 Outlets Beyond Baseball 59:00 Changing Your Mind

    UC San Diego Baseball Coach Justin Beck on Going from Player to Coach, Analytics, and Youth Sports
  5. Sep 2

    John Seavey on the Student Manager Path, Coaching Identity, and Building Winning Programs at Cal Poly Humboldt

    On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, coach John Seavey discusses his path from playing basketball to becoming a student manager at the University of Arizona under Sean Miller, a pivotal experience that led him into coaching, then staying as a GA to earn his master’s degree. He followed associate head coach Joe Pasternack to UC Santa Barbara (2017–2022), where he learned organizational discipline, relationship-building, fundraising, and navigating institutional politics after a long-tenured coach. Seavey then moved to Cal State Monterey Bay under Isaac Williams, gaining major on-court growth by running the defense, learning communication, tactical adjustments, and roster construction through mistakes and mentorship. He joined DJ Broome at Cal Poly Humboldt, completed a strong first season, and was promoted to associate head coach, emphasizing identity, community investment, process-driven improvement, effort evaluation, and guiding players to answers through questions. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:30 John Seavey Coaching Origin 01:14 Student Manager Pathway 02:40 Arizona to Santa Barbara Move 03:09 Monterey Bay Learning Curve 04:32 Humboldt Transition and Promotion 05:33 Manager Versus Ops Restrictions 08:00 Following a Legend at UCSB 11:16 Politics and Admin Relationships 14:36 Humboldt Relationship Blueprint 16:21 Mistakes That Built a Coach 20:04 Defense Coordinator by Fire 22:47 Letting Assistants Own Schemes 25:46 Roster Construction and Fit 29:04 Recruiting Pipelines and Trends 31:46 Beyond Basketball Differences 32:22 Arizona Pro Mindset 33:50 UCSB Building a Program 35:04 Division II Reality Check 35:39 Carryover Coaching Lessons 40:20 Community Investment Culture 42:05 Fundraising Relentless Yes 46:51 Sustaining Winning Identity 52:33 Process Over Scoreboard 56:16 Measuring Effort on Film 59:31 Guide Players to Answers 01:02:40 Patience and Long Game 01:05:15 Closing Coastline Banter

    John Seavey on the Student Manager Path, Coaching Identity, and Building Winning Programs at Cal Poly Humboldt
  6. Aug 26

    Building Culture in a Small-School Athletic Department (with AD Jeffrey Dixon, River Valley HS)

    On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, host interviews Jeffrey Dixon, athletic director at River Valley High School outside Pittsburgh, about his path from an average high school athlete to teacher, multi-sport coach, and AD since 2021 amid a district merger and rebrand. Dixon explains how River Valley built an indoor track program without its own facility, traveling to college sites while indoor remains PTFCA-sponsored rather than PIAA-sanctioned due to limited venues. They discuss the shift away from volunteering in coaching, strategies for staffing shortages through alumni and cross-sport hires, and communication systems that build accountability. Dixon shares culture lessons he’s borrowed from other coaches, ways to reduce subjectivity with data and video, concerns about specialization and burnout, the value of multi-sport participation, and how his mindset has evolved from chasing wins to prioritizing relationships and learning from failure. Substack: https://gdthead.substack.com/ 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:50 Coach Dixon’s Coaching Journey 04:34 Building an Indoor Track Program 08:29 District Merger and School Landscape 11:35 Football Culture and Small-School Numbers 14:19 Volunteering vs Paid Coaching Today 20:01 Creative Staffing and Recruiting Helpers 22:13 Stealing Great Ideas From Other Coaches 26:00 Inbox Rules and Boundaries 27:39 Email Text Call Hierarchy 29:33 Overcommunicating With Parents 31:10 One Platform for Everything 32:09 Culture Builders in Programs 35:19 Making Subjective Sports Fair 39:38 Specialization and Travel Ball 48:48 Multi Sport and Real Development 50:49 Handling Insults as a Leader 53:16 Changing Minds on Winning 57:28 Wrap Up and Next Projects Twitter: @RVTFXCCoach Substack: @geoffdixon185810 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-dixon-caa-b69655245 Podcast Instagram: @exchangezonepodcast

    Building Culture in a Small-School Athletic Department (with AD Jeffrey Dixon, River Valley HS)
  7. Aug 19

    Butte College WBB Coach Phillip Thomas Jr. on JUCO Recruiting, Culture, and Coaching Beyond Basketball

    On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, Butte College head women’s basketball coach Phillip Thomas Jr. shares his journey from Fairfield High (class of 2007) through multiple college stops (Delta/CRC, Florida International, Humboldt State, Whittier) and into coaching via AAU and high school before roles with Team Kidd, Academy of Art, and ultimately becoming Butte’s head coach (year three). He explains early head-coaching surprises at the JUCO level—administration, travel, eligibility, housing, and constant roster volatility—and how he now recruits by selling Chico as a college town while pulling talent from states and Canada. Thomas discusses learning from mentors like Chico State’s Coach Fogel and Rob Bishop, building a coaching network, and defining culture through accountability, punctuality, study hall, energy, and life lessons. He critiques youth/AAU development gaps, emphasizes fundamentals and “reps,” and describes coaching with authenticity over ego while prioritizing relationships and growth beyond basketball. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 00:23 Coach Journey Begins 01:29 Switch to Coaching Women 02:26 Landing at Butte College 03:08 Career Timeline Breakdown 04:39 Team Kidd Origins 05:25 Head Coach Reality Check 07:41 Planning for Chaos 09:32 Recruiting to Chico 11:17 Mentors at Butte 13:20 Building Coaching Network 15:52 Defining Program Culture 22:17 Life Lessons and Buzzwords 23:06 Family Concept in Sports 24:24 Accountability With Care 25:57 Players Leave And Return 26:42 Using Your Own Journey 30:08 I Had My Turn 32:33 Learning Beyond Basketball 37:30 Clubs Versus Schools 40:08 Fixing Youth Development 44:09 Teaching From Scratch 48:50 Coaching Authentically 51:02 Power Of Hello 52:06 Final Reflections

    Butte College WBB Coach Phillip Thomas Jr. on JUCO Recruiting, Culture, and Coaching Beyond Basketball
4.8
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About

The CONTACTS Coaches Podcast is a digital database of coaching where Coach and Athletic Director Justin Clymo discusses the various aspects of coaching, leadership and life with those he has met along the way.

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