For almost 30 years, I coached youth sports—baseball, basketball, soccer, and softball. My weekends were spent chalking fields and drawing up plays, not just pitch decks. And if you ask the kids I coached, most of them probably still don’t know my last name.

They just knew me as “Coach.”

And honestly? That’s one of the greatest honors of my life.

What I didn’t fully realize at the time was just how many leadership lessons I was learning on the field—lessons I still carry with me into every meeting, every decision, and every season of business here at Eclipse Creative.

Coaching Is Leadership in Its Purest Form

When you coach kids, you quickly learn one universal truth:

No two players are the same.
They learn differently. They’re motivated differently. They show up with different strengths, confidence levels, and circumstances. And as a coach, your job is to meet each of them where they are—and help them become the best version of themselves.

Sound familiar?

It’s exactly the same in business.

Whether I was the head coach setting the strategy or the assistant coach in the weeds, the real joy was always in pulling the best out of people.

That’s leadership.
And the best leaders don’t demand results—they develop them.

Managers vs Coaches vs Visionaries

One of the most interesting parallels between coaching and business is the difference in leadership roles.

• Coaches (or managers) are close to the action. They know every detail of what’s happening on the field. They’re working one-on-one with players, watching every swing, every sprint, every pass.
• Head coaches (or visionaries) are zoomed out. They’re thinking about the game plan, long-term goals, and team dynamics at a high level.

It’s the same way we run things at Eclipse.

We have incredible team leads who act like coaches—mentoring, managing, training. And I try to keep my eye on the big picture: where we’re headed, what we’re building, and how we win together.

Both roles matter. One doesn’t exist without the other.

Two Coaching Moments I’ll Never Forget

When people ask me why I love coaching so much, it always comes down to this:

The impact.

The games are great. The wins are exciting. But the moments that stick with me are the ones where I saw real growth—on and off the field.

The Shortstop Who Needed a Mentor

I once coached a 13-year-old baseball player—my shortstop. He had real talent, but more than that, he needed guidance. His parents were divorced, and he was searching for some stability. I stepped in as a mentor, and over the course of the season, we built a bond like family.

Fifteen years later, he invited me to his wedding.

And when I walked in, there were dozens of my former players there—all grown men—still calling me “Coach.” It wasn’t about baseball anymore. It was about the impact.

The Goalie Who Outgrew the Team

Then there was my daughter’s soccer team—a group of scrappy, spirited misfits who became something special. One girl, our goalie, had real potential. I spent a lot of time developing her skills, and eventually, she outgrew our team.

Letting her go was tough—we lost our star player. But it was the right move. She transferred to a more competitive team, got noticed, and eventually earned a full college scholarship.

She invited me to her signing day.
That one still gives me goosebumps.

(Oh—and our original team? They rallied, found their own rhythm, and went on to win tournaments. Many of those girls are still close friends today.)

From Field to Floor: What I Bring to Business

I’ll never forget what coaching taught me.

It taught me to lead with empathy.
To spot potential.
To let people grow—even if that means letting them go.
To invest time where it matters most.
And to know that sometimes your biggest wins won’t show up on a scoreboard—they’ll show up 15 years later, in the form of a wedding invitation or a thank-you text from someone you mentored.

At Eclipse Creative, I try to lead the same way.
Not just pushing for performance—but coaching for growth.

If you’re a business owner or leader, I challenge you to think like a coach.

• Are you adjusting to your team’s unique talents and needs?
• Are you mentoring—not just managing?
• Are you willing to zoom in when it matters and zoom out when it’s needed?
• Are you creating a culture that people will remember—long after the game is over?

To this day, I’m not sure if I learned more as a coach or as an entrepreneur. But I know this: the best teams don’t just play well together—they grow together.

Here’s to coaching, leadership, and making an impact that lasts.