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. 4d ago

    Coaching, Teaching, and Leading, Multi-Sport Athletes, and Building Culture (w/ Alexa Caldwell)

    Five years after her first appearance, Phillips Exeter Academy head girls lacrosse coach and history department chair Alexa Caldwell shares her background in teaching and coaching, her transition from coaching both girls soccer and lacrosse to focusing on lacrosse, and how independent schools hire coaches through campus candidates and national searches while valuing the “dorm, coach, teach” model. She discusses why she believes the model is sustainable, how teaching and coaching skills transfer into department leadership, and how being on campus helps her understand students’ day-to-day experience. Caldwell addresses program culture, humility, and “earned, not given,” recruiting realities and admissions limits, and the challenges of multi-sport participation, workload, and captain’s practices. She also explains methods for valuing roles beyond scoring and reflects on changing her approach to proactive communication with a non-starting captain. 00:00 Welcome Back and Updates 00:39 Coach Background Recap 01:58 How Coaching Roles Shift 03:44 Triple Threat Hiring Debate 06:59 Teaching Meets Coaching 14:08 Leading Adults as Chair 17:27 League Strengths and Cycles 21:37 Recruiting Reality Check 23:48 Sharing Multi Sport Athletes 28:05 Workload Policies and PE Options 32:50 Managing Overworked Kids 33:03 Soccer Versus Basketball Load 34:28 Recruiting Multi Sport Athletes 36:07 Track Double Dipping Debate 38:05 Coaching Values That Transfer 40:16 Teaching Roles And Shot Math 45:38 Rewarding Hustle With Stats 48:11 No Shot Clock Frustrations 49:55 Parenthood Changes Coaching 52:32 Changing Mind On Captains 55:05 Proactive Player Conversations 59:41 Closing Thoughts And Farewell

    Coaching, Teaching, and Leading, Multi-Sport Athletes, and Building Culture (w/ Alexa Caldwell)
  2. Oct 21

    Coach Brian Katz on His New Book ‘It’s Not About The Ball’ and the NIL/Transfer Portal Reality

    Justin welcomes back Northern California coach Brian Katz for a third podcast episode to discuss Katz’s second book, “It’s Not About The Ball: A Modern Basketball Story,” and his views on today’s basketball and college sports landscape. Katz shares what he’s been doing since retiring, including local March Madness analysis, and emphasizes four keys to winning: foul line, three-point line, rebounding, and turnovers. He explains rebounding drills (including taping rims) and the “go or get back” approach learned from elite rebounding coaches. Katz argues coaching and teaching are being devalued amid NIL, transfers, and lack of enforceable rules, and says most athletes chase “fool’s gold” at the expense of education. He offers candid advice on recruiting realities, parents and trainers, player development, and why winning and player growth can coexist. 00:00 Coach Katz Returns 00:49 Staying Involved Post Coaching 01:42 March Madness Trends 02:38 Four Keys To Winning 05:06 Quick Career Recap 05:54 Rebounding Secret Sauce 08:02 Go Or Get Back 10:23 Retirement To Writing 10:58 NIL And Devalued Education 13:54 NCAA Toothless Wild West 16:01 Portal Chaos And Integrity 19:27 Parents Ego And Misinformation 22:51 Coaches Cant Speak Freely 26:22 Handling Parents And Transfers 29:55 Owning The Desire To Win 33:54 Recruiting Reality Check 36:14 Coaches Work 24 7 38:08 Winning Over Stats 43:20 Positions And Intangibles 45:53 Money Mindset Shift 47:52 Do You Need College 48:57 Versatility Over Hype 50:42 Confidence Through Hardship 54:46 Winning Habits Get Recruited 01:01:13 Watch Off The Ball 01:02:49 What Recruiting Really Means 01:07:08 Honesty With Players 01:11:03 Unsexy Work Gets Better 01:17:47 Stop Holding Kids Back 01:23:59 Winning And Life Lessons 01:30:46 Why He Wrote The Book 01:34:58 Final Thoughts On Coaching https://open.spotify.com/episode/1SdsFWmGMvSYCD5ZCk4XGa?si=utX7ay7QQvexLSG3p863JA&utm_source=copy-link https://open.spotify.com/episode/2AhQyvmTiC08Ub0cTy11AA?si=_mJLC5IcQ2e61-vDrHmGvg&utm_source=copy-link Book Link: https://a.co/d/09zEDA6v

    Coach Brian Katz on His New Book ‘It’s Not About The Ball’ and the NIL/Transfer Portal Reality
  3. Oct 14

    From Cold Approach to AD: Blake Johnson’s Path from Peoria to Phoenix (All Saints Athletics)

    Blake Johnson, athletic director at All Saints’ Episcopal Day School in Phoenix, recounts how a lifelong love of sports led him from playing multiple sports through college into coaching and athletic administration. He describes starting as a substitute teacher in Peoria, Illinois, cold-approaching district AD AJ Guyton to become his assistant for six years, building elementary and middle school sports programs across dozens of schools, and coaching at Peoria High as a freshman head coach while his district responsibilities expanded. Johnson explains his 2024–25 move into the independent school space after a LinkedIn application and a rigorous interview process, the shift from district to site-based demands, working with parents amid heavy club-sport schedules, and emphasizing mission fit, documentation, and systems. He also discusses lessons from NBA-related experiences, building a new professional network in Phoenix, and a growing focus on performance psychology and mindset. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:33 Sports Roots in Peoria 01:53 First Coaching Sparks 03:11 Breaking Into District AD 04:37 Building Youth Programs 05:41 Peoria High Coaching Era 06:28 Expanding Middle School Oversight 08:24 Cold Approach Confidence 10:12 Subbing as Career Hack 11:34 From Assistant to Head Coach 14:00 District vs Site Leadership 15:34 Landing at All Saints 17:59 Independent School Hiring Fit 21:12 Sports Offerings and Growth 22:18 League Alignment Questions 23:54 Middle School Baseball Softball 25:21 Club Sports Pressure 31:05 Specialization And Leadership 32:29 Choosing The Right Program 33:48 NBA Lessons Applied 36:42 Building A New Network 41:14 Vulnerability And Asking Help 43:16 Expanding Programs Carefully 45:19 Mindset Performance Psychology 46:24 Books Resources And Wrap

    From Cold Approach to AD: Blake Johnson’s Path from Peoria to Phoenix (All Saints Athletics)
  4. Oct 7

    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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
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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