Deep Dive with Yael Averbuch West on Great Coaching

How do you lead when every decision affects someone's dream? Kelly talks with Yael Averbuch West, general manager of New Jersey/New York Gotham FC, about the tricky business of managing professional athletes whose careers are both precious and finite. This conversation explores the difference between coaches who see your strengths versus those who fixate on your weaknesses, why high EQ matters more than tactical brilliance and how fairness and transparency can cut through the noise when egos are fragile and everyone's happiness seems to depend on you. To learn more about Gotham FC, visit: https://www.gothamfc.com To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A very special coach can change your life in a single practice. Kelly shares listener Tiffany Hogue's letter to her high school track coach—a letter written decades after one small act of kindness set everything else in motion. This is about a coach who understood that last place can still be the starting line for something remarkable and the decision to include someone can have positive repercussions throughout a lifetime. Through Tiffany's words, we're reminded that the people who believe in us when we're slowest, newest and most uncertain often end up mattering more than anyone else. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes a leader stay grounded? Kelly sat down with Maryland Governor Wes Moore at the Aspen Ideas Festival to talk about power and humility, loss and faith, and the forces that shape who we become. Moore shares stories from his childhood—losing his father at three, finding himself caught between worlds as a teenager, getting sent to military school—and reflects on how those early experiences inform the way he leads today. This conversation explores big questions about fairness and opportunity, asking what we owe each other and how much context matters when we're measuring success. Books by Governor Moore mentioned in this episode: The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-other-wes-moore-wes-moore/1101000890 Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/five-days-wes-moore/1134703904?ean=9780525512387 Special Thanks to the Aspen Ideas Festival To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly introduces The Lazy Genius podcast. October through December sometimes feels like a really fun roller coaster but you don’t always feel like you have time to buckle your seatbelt. This episode is going to help you not just survive a busy season but really enjoy it. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode 4 of our Great Coaches series, Kelly talks with Ali Truwit, who went from Yale Division I swimmer to shark attack survivor to Paralympic silver medalist in just over a year. Two days after her college graduation, a snorkeling trip in Turks and Caicos ended with Ali losing her left foot and part of her leg as a result of a shark attack. What followed wasn't just a physical recovery but a complete reimagining of identity, guided by coaches who understood that rebuilding Ali meant helping her see what was still there, not what was lost. Please check out and consider supporting Ali's non-profit: Stronger Than You Think . https://strongerthanyouthink.org/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What makes a coach unforgettable? Kelly reads listener Kathleen Ricketts' tribute to her high school basketball coach, Dave Greenberg—known simply as "DG". This isn't a story about championships or statistics. It's about a man who knew his players as individuals, who loved freely and built confidence that shaped the trajectory of their lives. Through Kathleen's words, we meet a coach who became a second father to young women who needed one, and we're reminded that the greatest legacies live not in record books but in the people we help become who they're meant to be. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly's daughter Claire takes the mic to share her experience with Camp Kesem, an amazing organization that runs free summer camps for kids whose parents have faced cancer. As both a cancer survivor's daughter and the current director of UVA's Kesem chapter, Claire opens up about her personal story and shows how this incredible community creates pure magic for children going through tough times. (Previously aired) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the third episode of our Great Coaches series, Kelly sits down with Eric Ripert, chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin, whose three Michelin stars pale in comparison to his journey from surviving brutal kitchen culture to creating something entirely different. Through stories about the legendary cruelty of mentor Joel Robuchon and the moment Eric realized he was becoming someone he didn't recognize, he reveals how the restaurant industry's tradition of abuse nearly broke an entire generation of chefs. This conversation delves into the hard-won wisdom of a chef who discovered that kindness isn't weakness—it's the secret ingredient that changes everything. Eric's book (written with Veronica Chambers) which was mentioned in this episode is: 32 Yolks: From My Mother's Table to Working the Line Also mentioned: A Return to Cooking To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelly shares the legendary farewell memo that GQ Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson sent to his staff when Andy Ward left for Random House in 2009. This is workplace appreciation turned up to eleven—a memo so effusive, so unabashedly emotional and so beautifully over-the-top that it became the stuff of publishing legend. Through Nelson's tribute to Andy's "Olympian generosity of spirit" and "Andy Ward-ness," we get a glimpse into what it looks like when someone's professional impact is so profound that ordinary words simply won't do. Check out Kelly's interview with Andy HERE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-dive-with-andy-ward-on-great-coaching/id1532951390?i=1000728012046 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you good with money? Or are you avoiding taking a close look at what you have and what you need? Kelly shares excerpts from the book Feel Good Finance: Untangle Your Relationship with Money for Better Mental, Emotional and Financial Well-Being by Aja Evans and discusses her own relationship with money. (Previously aired) To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices