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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.
Win More, Live Better
Tracy Slusser | Executive Leadership & Performance Coach | "This is what I do. This is not who I am."
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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 athletics, which started as a student-athlete at Purdue University, then led to 17 years coaching at the highest levels in the sport of swimming. She coached three National Championship teams, represented the United States as a National Team coach, and worked with Olympic medalists and other world-class athletes. Today, she brings that experience into her work supporting coaches and leaders through values-based leadership and executive coaching.
In our conversation, we unpack the identity trap of tying self-worth to wins and losses, how to separate what you do from who you are, coaching from freedom instead of fear, and the paradox of grit and self-compassion for achievers. She shares why values-based leadership is a key foundation for her work with coaches and offers some practical recommendations for how coaches can protect their energy and create a more sustainable relationship with coaching.
Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:
[5:33] — Impostor Syndrome in Coaching
[8:54] — The Fear of Screwing It Up
[11:34] — The Identity Trap
[15:51] — Leading Yourself First
[18:05] — Values In Action
[20:30] — The Paradox Between Grit and Compassion
[24:18] — Who Coaches the Coaches?
[29:40] — The Courage to Leave Coaching
[34:04] — What Coaches Are Struggling With
[35:56] — The Iceberg Beneath the Issue
[39:54] — Values-Based Leadership
[45:24] — Giving Coaches Permission to Ask for Help
[50:55] — Protecting Your Energy
[53:55] — Realities Women Face in Coaching
[58:32] — Creating a Values-Aligned Life
Learn More About Tracy:
- You can learn more about Tracy and her work on her website here.
Learn More About Zach:
- If you’re a coach or leader striving for more clarity, consistency, and fulfillment, feel free to sign up for a free discovery call to see how I can best support you: https://calendly.com/zachbrandon/discoverycall
- For more practical tools and mindset stories like this, you can subscribe to my free newsletter here: https://winningwithwords.beehiiv.com/
- You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.
