If the big people aren't okay, the little people don't stand a chance. That is the idea psychologist Dr. Jody Carrington has built her career on, and it flips the entire athlete development conversation on its head.
In part one of this two part conversation, JP sits down with Dr. Jody Carrington, a clinical psychologist and founder of Carrington and Company who has spent decades studying emotional regulation in high pressure environments, from a locked psychiatric unit to elite sports organizations. She unpacks why the coach's own nervous system sets the ceiling for the team's, and why the answer to a dysregulated athlete is never more yelling.
Whether you coach with intensity or with quiet steadiness, this episode will change how you think about the person running the room, not just the players in it.
Chapters(00:00) Intro - Why Coach Regulation Matters
(02:11) Meet Dr. Jody Carrington
(02:47) Why She Focuses on Coaches
(05:09) The Coach-Centered Approach
(07:54) Do Good Coaches Screw Up Kids
(09:36) The Hand Model of the Brain
(15:33) The Tom Izzo Question
(19:19) Cortisol and Your Nervous System
(23:17) Collect Before You Direct
TOC 3-2-1
3 Quotes | 2 Questions | 1 Resource
Your fast track to the episode's most actionable ideas.
"If the big people aren't okay, the little people don't stand a chance."
- Dr. Jody Carrington
"You don't lose your ability to be great. You don't lose the best golf swing you've ever taken in your life. You lose access to it."
- Dr. Jody Carrington
"We have to collect before we direct."
- Dr. Jody Carrington
2 Questions for Your Team
Q1: Where in your program are you investing in athlete performance but not in your own emotional regulation as a coach?
Q2: Think of the last time you corrected an athlete in the moment. Had you collected enough relationship first for that correction to land?
1 Resource to Go Deeper
Dr. Jody Carrington's Books, Podcast, and Resources
Her ongoing work on emotional regulation, connection, and leadership under pressure goes deeper into everything covered in this episode.
Visit drjodycarrington.com here
Key Takeaways
- Coach Regulation Is the Missing Variable in Athlete Development
- You Cannot Learn With Your Lid Flipped
- Collect Before You Direct
- Intensity Isn't the Problem, Timing Is
- Your Nervous System Gets Hijacked Before You Even Get Out of Bed
- Coaching Is Development Work, Not Just Performance Work
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