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Coaches are the individuals who have a profound impact on the next generation. There are over 500,000 coaches in the U.S., ranging from youth to college levels. Yet, they are one of the most underserved groups of leaders.

BETTER exists to fill that gap for coaches, athletes, and the leaders supporting them.

The best way for you to join in that mission? Simply forward this newsletter or share this link to another coach, athletic director, or athlete who needs it.

📬 What’s in this week’s newsletter?

🍼 Anecdote: The kindness behind radical mastery — a story of survival and service
🔬 Research Insight: Purpose-driven mastery leads to higher resilience and meaning
🧠 The Big Idea: Mastery isn’t just for performance — it’s how we serve
✅ 5 Practical Takeaways: How to pursue mastery that elevates others

📍Anecdote: Role Player Who Ran the Room

This week, James Clear shared a fantastic story from investor Rick Buhrman in his 3-2-1 newsletter (one of our favorites).

Buhrman was asked on the Invest Like the Best podcast:
“What’s the kindest thing that anyone has ever done for you?”

His answer wasn’t about words, gestures, or gifts.
It was about the silent, daily pursuit of mastery by strangers.

His son, Theo, spent six months in NICUs, critically ill. Many other children in similar or better condition didn’t survive. But Theo did.

These medical professionals didn’t know they were preparing to save Theo’s life. They just committed — day in, day out — to becoming great at something that might one day matter.

That, Buhrman said, might be the kindest thing someone can do:

🧠 The Big Idea: Mastery as a Form of Kindness

Too often, we frame excellence in sport or leadership as personal achievement: trophies, wins, promotions.

But the truth is:
The best leaders master their craft so that others can thrive.
Mastery becomes kindness when it lifts others.

And as Buhrman highlights above, your mastery — the pursuit to be great at your role — can create ripples of impact that you’ll never know or see. But that doesn’t mean it’s not there.

As a coach, your attention to detail creates stability for a young athlete. The environment you create can teach them what community should be like.
As an AD, your commitment to clarity shapes a whole department’s culture.
As an athlete, your dedication might just inspire a teammate on the edge of quitting.

Excellence in isolation is impressive.
Excellence for others?
That’s legacy.

📊 Research Insight: Mastery With Meaning

Purpose-driven mastery — the pursuit of excellence with the intent to serve — has powerful psychological benefits:

A 2021 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that people who see their work as a calling (not just a job or career) report higher levels of resilience, emotional regulation, and life satisfaction. They also perform better under pressure — not in spite of their purpose, but because of it.

Why?
When your excellence is for things bigger than yourself, it’s easier to endure more, focus deeper, and draw motivation from something bigger than yourself.

🛠️ Putting It All Together:

🎁 How to Make Your Craft a Gift

1. Tie Your Craft to Your Why
   Don’t just get better for yourself — get better so that someone else is better because of you.

2. Practice with Invisible Impact in Mind
   Remember: the kindness of craft is often unseen. You may not see its full effect — but someone will feel it when it matters most.

3. Master the Unseen Moments
   A practice plan. A roster spot conversation. An offseason decision. Be excellent in the details no one applauds — they matter most.

4. Tell This Story
   Capture your own versions of Buhrman’s story. Create an inventory of your alums stories. It re-centers mastery not as ego-driven but purpose-driven.

5. Thank Someone Who’s Quietly Excellent
   Someone on your team or staff is consistently delivering craftsmanship every day. Recognize it. That’s how culture changes.

🧵 Conclusion: Greatness That Serves

In a results-driven world, it’s easy to think mastery is about standing out. But this story reminds us: the highest form of mastery may be the kind that blends in — the kind done with quiet care, deep integrity, and relentless commitment in service to others.

Whether you're a coach, administrator, or athlete, your pursuit of excellence is shaping lives — often in ways you’ll never fully know. That conversation you had, the energy you brought, the system you built — it might be the reason someone stays in the game, grows in confidence, or gets through a hard season.

Greatness doesn’t need a stage. Sometimes, it just needs a purpose.

Pursue your craft like someone’s life depends on it.
Because one day, it just might.

🛠️ Your Summer Playbook

The summer is an ideal time for high school and college coaches to establish their culture. Most people know what they want to do, but they don’t know how to do it.

They need a system.

The Culture Playbook is BETTER’s custom system, complete with tools that you can use with your team to establish a culture. It’s full of team exercises you can do with your team in very little time to help you establish your culture.

These tools are used by entities such as Microsoft, Google, and athletic departments like Mississippi State, Florida State, and thousands of high schools.

And you can see it all with no commitment. Coaches — access your free trial below.

🛠️ Want to win more? Know Yourself First.

Just last week, nearly 60 leaders signed up for our 5-day leadership course based on your Voice!

It will be sent to your inbox starting the Monday after you take the assessment and run for that week.

The assessment takes 10-15 minutes. Take it below.