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
266 episodes
Better Questions, Better Results: What a 6-time Hot Dog Eating Champion Can Teach Us About Performance
Every Independence Day, the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest captures the attention of millions of viewers. But few people know the story of Takeru Kobayashi, the six-time champion whose innovative approach forever changed the competition. In th...
Mike D'Antoni | 2-time NBA Coach of the Year | Hall of Fame Wisdom and The Coach Who Revolutionized Basketball
Coach Mike D'Antoni is one of the most influential coaches in basketball history.Following a remarkable playing career in Italy that included five championships, D'Antoni transitioned into coaching and went on to become one of the game's...
The Significant Objects Experiment: Why Storytelling Can Shift Perception and Change Behavior
Can a story make something worthless become valuable? In this episode, Zach shares an incredible real-life experiment that demonstrates how a simple story transformed ordinary objects into something people valued nearly 30 times more. You'll le...
The Request Beneath the Complaint: Learning to Hear What's Really Being Asked
How should leaders respond to complaints? In this episode, Zach explores the difference between chronic complainers and meaningful feedback, why complaints often contain valuable information, and how coaches and leaders can use curiosity, empat...
Don't Miss the View: How to Appreciate Where You Are While Pursuing What's Next
Most people don't miss the view because it isn't there. They miss it because they're moving too fast to notice it. In this episode, Zach explores why coaches, leaders, and high performers need more "lookout points" in their lives, intentional m...
Sonny Cumbie | Head Football Coach, Louisiana Tech University | "My job is to listen to the people I serve and help them feel seen, valued, and heard."
Sonny Cumbie is the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University and one of the most respected offensive minds in college football. His journey through the game is anything but conventional.A former Texas Tech walk-on quarterback, Cu...
Too Early to Tell: What Hall of Famers Can Teach Us About Persistence and Growth
What if some of the greatest careers in sports history had been judged by their first season? Today's episode profiles some of the early failures and struggles that several top performers faced early in their careers, but also how they responde...
Be Someone's Fan
As coaches and leaders, it's easy to assume people know how we feel about them. We assume our players know we're proud of them. We assume our staff knows they're appreciated. We assume our families know we're cheering for them. But support isn'...
The 2% We Remember: How to Enjoy the Journey Instead of Just Chasing the Destination
Why do we spend so much time chasing moments we'll only experience briefly? After reflecting on a World Series appearance and lessons from astronaut Chris Hadfield, I found myself wrestling with a simple question: What happens when we become so...
Do It Scared: Why Confidence Comes After Action
What if the confidence you’re waiting for is actually on the other side of action? In this episode, Zach explores one of the most common misconceptions in performance and personal growth: The belief that we must feel confident before we act. Za...
Why Team Cultures Drift (And How to Prevent It)
Most organizations and teams don't fall apart suddenly or due to some catastrophic collapse. Typically, things start to break down in more subtle ways and due to small deviations from standards. Drawing on insights from Northwestern Field Hocke...
Tracey Fuchs | Head Field Hockey Coach, Northwestern Univ. | "Culture wins championships."
Tracey Fuchs is one of the most accomplished coaches and players in the history of American field hockey.As the head coach at Northwestern University since 2009, Fuchs has transformed the Wildcats into a national powerhouse, becoming the...
Is Your Life Out of Tune?: Eric Church's Message to the Class of 2026
Country music star Eric Church recently delivered a commencement speech that resonated with millions. In it, he used the six strings of a guitar to explain what creates a meaningful life. In this episode, we unpack that metaphor and explore wha...
No Brown M&M's: How Tiny Details Reveal Standards and the Health of Your Culture
In the 1980s, Van Halen became famous for an unusual backstage request: No brown M&M’s in the dressing room. This request was actually a hidden test designed to reveal whether venues had carefully followed the band’s detailed production and...
The Power of Five Minutes: How Tiny Commitments Create Lasting Momentum
A lot of people struggle to build momentum because they make the starting line feel overwhelming. In this episode, I share the story of my wife’s “five-minute rule” that helped her run every single day for an entire year and why momentum is som...
John Wooden's 9 Promises for a Successful Life
Today we're exploring John Wooden’s famous “Nine Promises” and why they still matter today. We explore themes like emotional steadiness, relationships, self-talk, personal growth, leadership, comparison, peace of mind, and sustainable success. ...
After the Whistle: Never Waste a Failure
How do great performers respond to failure without becoming defined by it? In this After the Whistle segment, Zach expands on a powerful lesson shared by Louisville volleyball head coach Dan Meske: “You have to take more from failure than it ta...
Dan Meske | Head Volleyball Coach, University of Louisville | "Take more from failure than it took from you."
In this episode, I’m joined by Dan Meske, the head women’s volleyball coach at the University of Louisville and one of the most respected coaches in the entire sport.Before becoming Louisville’s head coach in 2025, Dan spent eight season...
Rehearse the Resistance: Why Elite Performers Prepare for Adversity, Not Just Success
Visualization is one of the most widely used mental performance tools in sports and performance, but many people use it incorrectly. In this episode, Zach explores why elite performers shouldn’t just visualize success, but also mentally rehears...
The Danger of Judging Outcomes Too Quickly
In this episode, Zach shares the famous parable of the farmer and the runaway horse to explore why leaders and performers often judge moments too early. A loss, injury, setback, or disappointment can feel defining in the moment, but most moment...
Your Culture Isn't for Everyone: A Lesson from a Paris Restaurant With No Menu
What can a Paris restaurant with almost no menu teach us about leadership and culture? In this episode, Zach shares a lesson from Le Relais de l’Entrecôte and explores why strong cultures are not built by trying to be everything to everyone. Za...
The Tape Doesn't Lie: How to Become a Better Communicator as a Coach
Most coaches use film to help players improve, but very few use it to evaluate themselves. In this episode, Zach shares why reviewing your own meetings, practices, conversations, or presentations can dramatically improve your communication and ...
After the Whistle: Why Naming Your Emotions Improves Your Life and Performance
What happens when you stop trying to suppress emotions and start learning how to work with them? In this episode, I build on my recent conversation with Amy Morin to explore the connection between emotional awareness and mental strength. We dis...
Amy Morin | Author and Keynote Speaker | "Mental strength is not about acting tough."
Amy Morin is a licensed psychotherapist, keynote speaker, award-winning host of the Mentally Stronger podcast, and an international bestselling author of six books on mental strength, including the globally acclaimed 13 Things Ment...
The Expectation Effect: How a Coach's Beliefs Shape a Player's Behavior
The expectations you hold for others are never neutral. In this episode, we break down the Pygmalion Effect (also known as the Rosenthal Effect) and the classic 1968 study with school children that revealed how important expectations can be. If...