Win More, Live Better
Win More, Live Better is a podcast for sport coaches and high-performing leaders who care deeply about results, but refuse to compromise their well-being, joy, or relationships in the process.
This show explores what it really means to win more and live better on your terms. Through stories, conversations, and practical frameworks, each episode helps you sharpen your leadership, strengthen your inner game, and build systems that support sustainable performance for you and those you lead.
Hosted by Zach Brandon, a nationally recognized performance and leadership advisor who partners with elite sport coaches, executives, and high performers to help them thrive using practical tools, systems, and mindset frameworks.
Episodes
227 episodes
Use the Difficulty: A Simple Rule for Challenging Moments
None of us get to choose when difficulty shows up in our lives, but we do get to choose if (and how) we use it. In this episode, we break down why most people waste difficult moments and Zach shares a story from the actor Michael Caine that can...
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Episode 227
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5:45
Here Be Dragons: Why the Unknown Feels Dangerous
In the 1500s, mapmakers would sometimes stamp “Here be dragons” on the edges of their maps, which marked places no one had yet explored. In this episode, we explore how that same instinct shows up in modern life when you’re facing risk...
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Episode 226
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9:14
After the Whistle: How Great Coaches Build Their Staff
Hiring is one of the most important decisions a coach makes, but it's rarely discussed in a public setting. In this After the Whistle segment, we build on insights from Arizona State head coaches JJ Van Niel and Molly Miller, both of whom empha...
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Episode 225
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12:47
JJ Van Niel | Head Volleyball Coach, Arizona State Univ. | "Coach Like a CEO"
JJ Van Niel’s path to becoming one of the top coaches in college volleyball is anything, but conventional.After spending more than a decade in the financial world (including investment banking and hedge funds), Van Niel made the leap int...
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Episode 224
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1:00:28
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How to Use Nerves to Perform Your Best
Most of us have been taught that nerves are a problem we have to solve. The vast majority of advice that gets recommended to manage nerves centers on trying to calm down, but what if I told you that this advice is counterproductive? After winni...
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Episode 223
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6:55
The Cost of Pursuing Excellence as a Parent AND the Gift Within It
Some of the most difficult conversations I have with athletes, coaches, and high-achieving leaders aren’t about performance. They’re about the sacrifices they make in this pursuit, especially as it relates to their families. They’re conversatio...
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Episode 222
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7:41
After the Whistle: Thoughts Are Not Laws
In this After the Whistle segment, we unpack how self-doubt and the inner critic can shape our performances and the way in which we lead others. Drawing on insights from Cleveland Guardians' Major League Manager, Stephen Vogt, and research from...
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Episode 221
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11:49
Stephen Vogt | Major League Manager, Cleveland Guardians | "Leaders don't get bad days."
In this episode of the Win More, Live Better Podcast, Zach sits down with Stephen Vogt, manager of the Cleveland Guardians and a former 10-year Major League Baseball veteran and two-time MLB All-Star.Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay R...
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Episode 220
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1:03:01
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The Bounce-Back Stat: How the Best Golfer in the World Responds to Mistakes
Mistakes are inevitable in sport, but too often performers get derailed when they allow those mistakes to snowball. In this episode, we explore a key statistic from the best golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, called the bounce-back stat. W...
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Episode 219
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7:08
Let Go or Be Dragged: The Cost of Carrying the Past
How often do you carry something long after the moment has passed? In this episode, Zach shares a powerful parable about two monks that reveals how easily we hold onto unhelpful thoughts. You’ll learn how to separate the event from the story, w...
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Episode 218
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8:17
After the Whistle: The 8 Building Blocks for High-Trust Teams
After his conversation with Dr. Paul Zak, Zach dives deeper into the science of trust and what it means for coaches and leaders. Drawing from Zak’s research on oxytocin and high-trust organizations, this After the Whistle episode explo...
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Episode 217
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18:41
Dr. Paul Zak | Professor, Author, and Speaker | “Social connection is the macronutrient for emotional fitness.”
Today I'm joined by Dr. Paul Zak, a distinguished university professor at Claremont Graduate University, a pioneer in the science of trust, and one of the world’s leading researchers on the neurobiology of human connection. He holds...
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Episode 216
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1:09:07
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The Tonnage Principle: Jerry Seinfeld's Two-Word Advice for Mastery
In a world obsessed with shortcuts and hacks, the reality is the path to mastery is often much simpler (and much harder) than we'd like to believe. Regardless of your industry or chosen craft, a universal and timeless principle is that greatnes...
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Episode 214
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6:53
Know their Normal: The Leadership Skill of Noticing What’s Off
Have you ever had a moment with someone you know where something just felt off? Maybe their tone was different, their energy seemed lower, or they reacted in a way that didn’t quite match who they normally are. In this episode, Zach explores wh...
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Episode 215
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7:11
After the Whistle: The Cost of Being All In
Obsession often fuels excellence, but what happens when the thing that makes you great becomes the only thing that defines you? In this episode, Zach reflects on his conversation with former Division I head coach Matt Doherty and explores the t...
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Episode 213
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11:13
Matt Doherty | Executive Leadership Coach & Former D1 Basketball Coach | "Rebounding and Failing Forward"
In this episode of Win More, Live Better, Zach sits down with Coach Matt Doherty, an executive leadership coach, keynote speaker, and former Division I head coach for a candid conversation on leadership and the art of rebounding forwar...
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Episode 212
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55:10
NFLPA Report Cards: A Blueprint for Better Leadership
If the people you lead anonymously graded you today, what would they say? Every year, the NFL Players Association surveys players across the league. While organizations are graded on dozens of categories, head coaches are evaluated on only two ...
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Episode 211
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8:20
Hick's Law: Why Options Can Become Obtacles
More choices don't always help us make better decisions. In fact, most of the time, more choices not only hinders our speed with decision-making, it can also hinder our commitment to them. Drawing inspiration from Hick’s Law, Zach explores how ...
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Episode 210
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7:51
High Achievers Are Terrible At This: A Gratitude Lesson from Snoop Dogg’s Walk of Fame Speech
When Snoop Dogg received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said something that caught people off guard. In this episode, we unpack his lesson on gratitude and why high performers often forget to recognize one critical source of strengt...
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Episode 209
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7:06
After the Whistle: Define Your MVP
Most coaches don’t burn out from workload, but rather because they get disconnected from their purpose and why they're coaching in the first place. In this After the Whistle segment, Zach unpacks Tracy Slusser’s perspective on proactively defin...
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Episode 208
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13:33
Tracy Slusser | Executive Leadership & Performance Coach | "This is what I do. This is not who I am."
In today's episode of Win More, Live Better, I sit down with Tracy Slusser, an executive leadership and performance coach and former collegiate and international swim coach. For more than 20 years, Tracy lived inside Division I athl...
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Episode 207
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1:03:52
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Sideways vs. Backwards Comparison
We’ve been told that comparison is the thief of joy, but I’d actually argue some forms of comparison are useful. In this episode, I break down the difference between sideways vs. backwards comparison and why the latter can help us build confide...
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Episode 206
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9:02
The Red Queen Effect: Why Adaptation and Learning Speed are Competitive Advantages
Inspired by the book, Through the Looking Glass, the Red Queen effect explains why any species (including humans) must adapt and evolve to not just survive, but to also stay ahead. In sport and life, sometimes it feels like our skills and progr...
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Episode 205
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8:56
After the Whistle: Being Transparent
On this "After the Whistle" segment, Zach unpacks why ambiguity creates tension in teams and how transparency reduces interference. Building off his conversation with Georgetown Head Baseball Coach Edwin Thompson, this episode explores the psyc...
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Episode 204
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9:52
Edwin Thompson | Head Baseball Coach, Georgetown University | “Can you do the things that are hard that not everyone wants to do?”
Today's guest is Georgetown University Head Baseball Coach, Edwin Thompson.Since taking over the Georgetown program in 2020, Thompson has led the Hoyas through the most successful stretch in school history, highlighted by a record-settin...
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Episode 203
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1:08:14
