"Morning Coach..."

When I look back on the seasons of my life where growth came fast and deep, I always end up in the same place.

It's early-before the sun. I'm standing in my high school baseball locker room. It smells like bleach and old sweat. Clean and dirty at the same time. The lights overhead hum, casting a dull glow. Not because they're weak, but because it's too early for anything to be fully lit.

I'm tired in this memory. My legs are heavy. My brain is fogged. The soreness from yesterday is still fresh. And I feel it, the pull to stop. To rest. To stay still. But something stronger pulls in the opposite direction: Potential.

Even if I was moving slow, even if I didn't want to be there, I was there. I showed up. Every morning. And every morning, I walked out of that locker room and saw Coach.

"Morning, Coach," I'd say.

Sometimes he gave me a nod. Sometimes a quote. Sometimes a challenge. Sometimes nothing at all. But it always meant the same thing:Let's begin. The day was now in motion. That one phrase, Morning Coach, was a line in the sand between what had been and what could be.

From Locker Room to Leadership that rhythm never left me. I carried it to the Virginia Military Institute, where "Morning Coach" became "Morning, Corporal." Early mornings were a way of life - PT before sunrise, academic intensity after. I carried it into the U.S. Army, where "Morning, Sir" echoed across ranges and troop formations. We trained in all conditions, on little sleep, with heavy packs and heavier expectations.

We forged leaders under pressure, preparing to lead in combat. And when we went to war, the morning mattered most. In Afghanistan, we moved while the enemy slept. We took the high ground before first light. We won the day by owning the morning.

After my time in uniform, I became a police officer. Same story. Early hours. Quiet discipline. Briefings while most of the world still slept. As a SWAT Team Leader, we used the morning as our edge. While others dreamed, we knocked on doors. While criminals lay in bed, we stood in position, calm and focused.

And now, this...

Now I'm a coach.

Not of athletes. Not of Soldiers. But of people like you. Leaders who know they're made for more and are ready to close the gap. And the morning still holds the key. There's no spotlight in these hours. No applause. No dopamine. Just sweat, reflection, and resolve.

The things we do in the morning will echo throughout the day.

We build our mindset here.

We align with our values here.

We choose action over drift here.

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This Is the Spirit of saying Morning Coach aloud. There is determination behind the person who greets the day before the sun rises. Who already carries purpose and intention. Morning Coach is accepting that there is work to be done and that our fortitude carries us forward.

This isn't just a blog series or a newsletter.

It's a rhythm. A return. A reminder.

That the path to beyond high performance doesn't start with a meeting. It starts with a mindset. Each morning, we gather, not in a locker room or in formation, but here, in thought.

We reflect. We wrestle. We remember what matters.

We reject the lie that we have to wait to feel ready.

And we begin. Again.

So, if you're up for it, join the list below and welcome. You're not alone.

Shake off the sleep. Look your day in the eye.

And say it like you mean it:

"Morning Coach"

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