Coaching Culture

Join us for an in-depth conversation with performance nutritionist Daniel Davey, who has worked with elite teams including Dublin senior football and Leinster Rugby. In this episode, Daniel shares the realities of creating lasting cultural change around nutrition and lifestyle habits in high-performance environments.
What You'll Learn:
Daniel reveals why presentations and workshops alone don't create change, and why the real impact comes from ongoing conversations and relationships with athletes. He discusses the critical role of leadership buy-in, the importance of meeting athletes where they are, and why milk in the fridge and bananas on the counter might matter more than elaborate meal plans.
We explore the often-overlooked reality that even elite athletes—including national record holders—struggle with basic nutrition habits. Daniel shares powerful stories about what it means to truly care about athletes' development, from showing up at games to understanding someone's lemon zest and honey dressing.
Key Topics:
Why coach commitment is the single most powerful driver of nutrition culture
The limitations of one-off workshops vs. continuous support
How to have meaningful conversations that create lasting behavior change
Understanding energy management: physical, mental, and emotional
The pyramid of nutrition priorities (and why everyone wants to start at the top)
Red, orange, and green days: a simple framework for planning your week
Why the real work isn't about meal plans—it's about understanding the person
Perfect for: Coaches, performance staff, athletes, and anyone interested in creating sustainable change in high-performance environments.
Whether you're working with professional athletes or building culture in any competitive setting, Daniel's insights will change how you think about nutrition, behavior change, and what it really means to support performance.
Daniel Davey’s Website: daveynutrition.com (for recipes, articles, and consultation info).
Books by Daniel Davey: Eat Up, Raise Your Game and Eat Up: The Next Level.
Daniel Davey on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-davey-8326a839/
Join the TOC Coach Community For FREE! https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about
Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox Newsletter so you don’t miss the notes to this and every episode! https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox
Learn More and Apply for the next TOC Coaching Retreat: https://www.tocculture.com/retreat
Learn More about Besty Butterick and her work with coaches! https://betsybutterick.com/

Are you feeling the weight of a million "important" tasks? In this episode, JP Nerbun, Nate Sanderson, and Betsy Butterick dive into the concept of Essentialism in Leadership. We explore how to distinguish between mere stress and total overwhelm , why "function over fundamental" can transform your coaching , and how to decide what actually moves the needle for your team’s culture.
Timestamped Chapters:
0:00 - The "Million Things" Trap: Coaching in an Age of Information

3:30 - Stress vs. Overwhelm: Recognizing Systems Failure

5:50 - Navigating the Eisenhower Box: Urgency and Importance

8:30 - Why Coaches Get Fixated: The Illusion of Control

10:45 - Trade-offs and Lessons from a Ceramic Unicorn

16:40 - Function Over Fundamental: Letting Players Self-Organize

21:20 - Simplifying Culture: Why Your Team Needs Fewer Rules

25:35 - The Perspective Filter: "Will This Matter in a Year?"

30:10 - Listener Q&A: Navigating the Non-Compliant Senior

34:25 - The 5 C’s of Leadership: From Curiosity to Consequences

Connect with us:
Subscribe to the Team Culture Toolbox at tocculture.com.
Follow Betsy Butterick’s work at betsybutterick.com.
Get your question answered on the next episode: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2HrxkL9NrIjrm2G0W7IEoIvrrzWeidAX3jiR1d4kUH8Mg-w/viewform?usp=header
#CoachingCulture #Essentialism #LeadershipDevelopment #TeamCulture #CoachingTips

🧪 Coaching Like a Scientist: How Observation & Values Led to a State Title

What does it mean to "coach like a scientist"? In Part 2 of our conversation with first-year varsity head coach and podcast editor Mckenzie Ridgely, we explore the evolution of leadership that goes far beyond personality.
Mckenzie reflects on her journey from thinking leadership meant being the "loudest and meanest" to realizing that her best self involves observing how her players respond and shifting her methods to meet them where they are. We dive deep into the "Team Manifesto"—how co-created values became the ultimate tool for accountability during a high-stakes championship run.

In this episode, we discuss:
Evolving the "Best Self": Why coaching based on personality alone is a trap, and how to adapt your energy to get the best out of others.

The "Scientist" Approach: Learning to treat every practice and game as an experiment, using player feedback (verbal and behavioral) to guide your next move.

Values as a Tool, Not Just a Poster: The critical moment Mckenzie used team values to turn around a failing scrimmage and set the tone for the season.

The TOC Safety Net: The power of a non-judgmental community for testing new systems and finding support in the "mind games" of leadership.

The Story of the Season: Implementing team journaling to help players reflect on their growth and the memories that led to a State Championship.

Key Resources Mentioned:
Annie Duke on Decision-Making (Podcast Episode)

Jennifer Garvey Berger on Mind Traps (Podcast Series)

The TOC Journal

Connect with us:Join the FREE TOC Coach Community to access the same tools Mckenzie used to lead her team to a state title.

👉 Visit to https://www.skool.com/toccoach/about learn more!

#CoachingCulture #Leadership #TeamCulture #StateChampions #FieldHockey #GrowthMindset #CoachLife #TOCcommunity

McKenzie Ridgely joins the hosts to discuss her successful first season as a varsity head coach, focusing on the implementation of culture systems and resources from TOC (The Coaches' Community). She highlights the importance of "working on the front end"—establishing clear expectations, systems, and communication with players and parents before the season starts. Key topics covered include the structure and impact of her initial parent meeting, the process for selecting captains and forming a leadership council, using player development plans, and strategies for communicating playing time decisions and handling late-season pressure.

Get your copy of the TOC Leadership Journal: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/94...Join us on the 2026 TOC Leadership Retreat! https://www.thriveoncoaching.ie/retreatsSubscribe to the TOC Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox

As we close out the year, JP, Nate, and Betsy dive deep into the internal "operating system" of leadership. While many leaders focus on external strategy, this episode explores the internal beliefs and thought habits that often hold us back from our next level of growth. The team discusses how to shift from acting out of old patterns to acting out of conscious choice, offering practical tools for grounding yourself in high-pressure moments. To wrap up the year, the hosts also share their favorite books, shows, and movies of 2025, ranging from leadership deep-dives to high-octane racing dramas.Get your copy of the TOC Leadership Journal: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/947M5Z4J7SCQNJoin us on the 2026 TOC Leadership Retreat! https://www.thriveoncoaching.ie/retreatsSubscribe to the TOC Newsletter: https://tocculture.com/culture-toolbox