Today we talk about why active listening is so important not just for the athlete or even the coach but for the parents as well. Active listening is for everyone in a relationship. Without active listening performance, trust and teams suffer. Listen for the why today with Coach Kos and get real-time tips.

About Our Guest: Coach Kos. I am a combination of mental health counselor and a sports coach.  I have coached softball at all levels from 12u-Division 1. Through my experience as a coach, I came to see that athletes need to put as much focus on their mental health as they do their physical training.

I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling while serving as an Assistant Athletic Director of Student Welfare and Development. I was able to take this education and experience and help student-athletes develop the social, emotional, and leadership skills to complement their physical skills in an effort to help them become successful both on and off the field.

Ways To Connect:

Some people step up to life’s incomparable challenges. Josh Brewer grew up in Sub Saharan Africa in a single-parent home. After losing his father, and leaving his mother’s home, he lost three of his limbs in a train accident. After being adopted and moving to the states a chance meeting led Josh to wheelchair basketball. This became his passion and has led him to the Olympics in Rio and to finishing his college education at one of the top wheelchair basketball programs in the US. Josh shows us that optimism and internal drive can lead to amazing success even after overwhelming hardship. No Limits. The Josh Brewer Story. A Paralympian.

About Our Guest: Brewer is a triple amputee who was run over by a train while living in the streets of Ethiopia as a child. He spent months in a hospital after losing both legs from below the knees and his right arm from below the elbow…Son of Laura Brewer…Has one brother, Josiah…Has lived in three countries, Ethiopia, Australia, and the U.S… Enjoys fishing, basketball, and relaxing.

Paralympic Experience

• Rio Paralympic Games One-time Paralympian (2016); One-time medalist (1 silver)
• 2016 Canada Cup

Taking On The Struggles Of Being Uncomfortable. It seems like humanity is doing everything it can to not be uncomfortable.  We avoid, finger point, and give up all not to face being uncomfortable. Coach Kos dissects how our obsession with being comfortable gets in the way of our utmost (or peak) performance, quality connection to others, and growing in confidence. This episode will challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone onto the path of growth and encourage you to start building mental toughness.  

Many athletes are coached by a parent at one point in their careers.  It can be both a blessing and a curse.  Today in our “Tips On Coaching Your Own Kids In Sports”, Coach Matt Gruhler shows how it can be done, even at the varsity level, and still reach great success as a coach and father.

About Our Guest: Matt Gruhler

Matt Gruhler is the Head Boys Basketball Coach and School Counselor at Skyview HS in Vancouver, WA. Coach Gruhler begins his ninth season as the Skyview basketball Head Coach this season. The 2021-22 season marks Gruhler’s 17th year as a coach at the high school level and his eighth year as a school counselor at Skyview.  Before coaching at Skyview, he was the Varsity Head Coach at Hockinson HS for three years. He has also been a Varsity Assistant Coach at Tumwater HS and Fort Vancouver HS in his career. Coach Gruhler and his wife, Sarah, live in the Skyview boundaries of the Vancouver School District. They have three children, Kyle (SHS ‘20 graduate), Callie (11) and Jonah (8).  Coach Gruhler grew up in Portland, OR and played basketball for Central Catholic High School. At CCHS, he played for legendary coach, Steve Halligan, where he learned the love of impacting lives through coaching. After high school, Gruhler played college basketball at Division II Saint Martin’s University, playing for Head Coaches Bob Grisham and Keith Cooper.

Contact Coach Gruhler: Matt.Gruhler@vansd.org

Sports is more than an avenue to compete. It gives an individual a place to grow within themselves. That growth, fuels bigger risks that leads to life-long success and relationships. Today we talk with Skyler Kamaka (Miss Hawaii 2012) about her story of starting from humble beginnings to competing as a collegiate athlete to moving to Hawaii to take on huge challenges, where she would grow in a life of service to her community and later on, to her country.  This is a great example of never doubting the chance of failing and grinding out what is needed to get to the bigger dream.

About Our Guest: Skyler Kamaka (Miss Hawaii 2012)

• College Volleyball Player at Concordia University  2008-2012
• Started Hawaiian Club and hosted first Luau 2009
• Competed and won Miss Hawaii-2012
• Competed in Miss America 2012
• Started hosting TV show promoting the culture and life of Hawaii- 2012
• Athletic Director and Teacher 2012-2014
• Joined the Hawaii Air National Guard

Today we dive in with special guest Lisa Hashimoto Hall about how too often kids with special needs don’t get involved in the world of sports.  We talk about avenues that both parents and coaches can pursue to help make them feel welcome and step outside of their comfort zone to help them not only build relationships but also mental and emotional strength.

About Our Guest Lisa Hashimoto Hall

My name is Lisa Hashimoto Hall and I’m from Perry, UT.  I went to Box Elder High School in Brigham City, UT where I was a multi-sport athlete. I excelled in softball while at Box Elder and was a two-time state champion, three-time High School All-American, and the MVP of the 4A division in softball my junior year.   I was able to gain a softball scholarship to the University of Utah where I was a 4-year starter.  While at Utah I was awarded to be on the WAC All-Tournament team my junior year.  I’m also a career holder in stolen bases and sacrifice hits.  I met my husband at the University of Utah and was married in 1999.

I’ve coached off and on since my playing career ended in 2000.  I had an amazing opportunity right out of college to be an assistant coach at Utah State University close to my hometown.  I coached there for a few years and then hung up my coach’s shoes to start a family. I had my first son in 2003 and became pregnant soon after with my second son in 2005.  After a few years of raising my boys, I decided to go back to coaching at my local high school and try my hand as a head coach.  I was able to coach at my alma mater, Box Elder High school, and win a state championship.  It was around this time that my 2nd son received an autism diagnosis and my world turned upside down.  I decided to try coaching a few more years and do my best to provide early intervention for my son but had to put my coaching career on hold again when I became pregnant with my daughter.

For the next 9 years, I spent my time raising my children and providing the best education for my son.  It felt like a constant battle with a lot of highs and lows doing my best to raise a child with special needs.  Looking back now I can’t believe how far he’s come and the progress he’s made.  He is now 16 years old and doing very well in school and is on track to graduate.  I’m back into coaching my daughter’s travel softball team and enjoy watching my oldest son play baseball for the local high school.

Head to our website for more information about Coach Kos, Traning The Complete Athlete.

Guest: Trina Comerford.

Officials play a role in every game, learn how players, coaches, and athletes can grow through working within the games officials, and rules to create a better person with our guest Trina Comerford. Trina has been an umpire since 2003.  A lifetime softball player she made the switch from softball parent to umpire in 2003.  In three short seasons, she went from being an official for 10U to working fall ball in the Pac 12 in 2006.  She primarily works Pac 12, WAC, Big West, and Mountain West conferences currently.  She still will return to her routes of small college and travel ball throughout the competitive season.  A mother of 10 she finds the lessons she learns on the field to integrate into her life as a mom and a grandmother.

Putting in the work to get it right.