The Winning Coach with Pat Rigsby

Hosted by Pat Rigsby

Business Entrepreneurship Health Fitness

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780

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The Winning Coach with Pat Rigsby — for sports-minded entrepreneurs, coaches, and high performers who want to build better teams, better businesses, and better lives. Find out more at www.PatRigsby.com

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60 recent

September 7, 202641 min

The Winning Coach - 15 - How to Win Without the Biggest Resources | An Interview with Dan Heefner

Get more at PatRigsby.com What if you could build a winning organization without having the biggest resources? That's exactly what Dan Heefner has done at Dallas Baptist University. Entering his 20th season as the head baseball coach at DBU, Dan has helped build one of the most consistently successful programs in college baseball—while competing against programs with significantly greater resources. And the lessons behind that success have almost nothing to do with baseball. In this episode of The Winning Coach , Pat Rigsby sits down with Dan to talk about what it really takes to build a great organization: developing people, creating the right environment, hiring the right people, finding overlooked talent, and continually adapting when the landscape changes. Dan shares why he believes one of a leader's most important jobs is to create an environment where people can grow, why "leadership" is really about influence, and why the best way to develop leaders is to actually give them opportunities to lead. They also dive deep into hiring and recruiting—including why you should define who you are before deciding who you want to hire, why resumes can be overrated, how to uncover the truth during reference checks, and how case studies can reveal far more about a candidate than traditional interview questions. For coaches, business owners, fitness professionals, and anyone responsible for building a team, there are lessons throughout this conversation that can be applied immediately. You'll hear Dan and Pat discuss: • Building a winning organization without the biggest resources • Why development can become a competitive advantage • Creating an environment where good habits are easy • Building culture through the physical environment • Why leadership is really about influence • Developing leaders by giving them responsibility • Hiring for culture and long-term fit—not appearances • How to conduct better reference checks • Why specific questions beat generic interview questions • Using real-world case studies to evaluate potential hires • Finding undervalued talent your competitors overlook • Learning from industries outside your own • Adapting when your industry is constantly changing • Doing more with less • The importance of staying curious and maintaining a "figure it out" mentality • The unique challenges of coaching your own children This is a conversation about building people, building teams, and building something that lasts. Whether you're a coach, gym owner, fitness professional, entrepreneur, or business leader, there's plenty here to steal for your own organization. Because winning isn't always about having the most. Sometimes it's about knowing what you can develop, what you can't, and how to build an environment that brings out the best in your people. 00:00 – Building a Winning Program Without the Biggest Resources 02:00 – The Early Days of Dallas Baptist Baseball 04:30 – Why Player Development Became DBU's Competitive Advantage 07:00 – The Power of Continual Curiosity and Getting Better 10:00 – Learning From Outside Your Industry 13:00 – Creating an Environment Where People Naturally Develop 16:00 – Make Good Habits Easy, Bad Habits Hard 19:00 – Why Leadership Is Really About Influence 22:00 – Stop Trying to Make Everyone Lead the Same Way 25:00 – How to Develop Leaders: Give Them Responsibility 28:00 – The Most Important Job of a Head Coach 30:30 – Hiring for Culture, Fit, and Long-Term Success 34:00 – Why You Shouldn't Hire for Social Proof 37:00 – How to Actually Check a Candidate's References 40:00 – Stop Asking Generic Interview Questions 43:00 – Using Real-World Case Studies to Hire Better People 46:00 – Finding Undervalued Talent Your Competition Overlooks 49:00 – How to Do More With Less 52:00 – Adapting When Your Industry Is Constantly Changing 55:00 – The Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays Approach to Business 58:00 – Coaching Your Own Children: The Challenges and Rewards 1:01:00 – Building a Place People Love to Be 1:03:00 – Final Thoughts on Coaching, Leadership, and Growth

August 31, 202632 min

The Winning Coach - 14 - The Best Player Development Starts With The Coach with Brian Harrison

Get more at PatRigsby.com What does it take to build a championship-level program—and become the kind of coach people want to follow? On this episode of The Winning Coach , I sit down with my longtime friend and highly respected college baseball coach Brian Harrison , Head Baseball Coach at Baldwin Wallace University. Brian has built Baldwin Wallace into one of the top Division III baseball programs in the country, with nearly 600 wins as a head coach and multiple trips to the College World Series. But the real story isn't just the wins. It's the leadership, player development, culture, relationships, and constant evolution behind them. Brian and I talk about what it takes to build a successful baseball program from the ground up, develop players at a high level, hire and empower great coaches, and create a culture where players want to stay, improve, and take ownership. One of the most important ideas Brian shares is this: "The best player development is coach development." If you want to develop better players, you have to become a better coach. We also dive into clarity in coaching, building trust with players, recruiting, team culture, player retention, leadership, coaching philosophy, adapting to change, and finding competitive advantages —not only in college baseball, but in any environment where you're responsible for helping people become better. Brian shares how his coaching philosophy has evolved over nearly two decades, why great coaches need to continually learn, and why becoming wiser often means eliminating the things that don't matter so you can focus more intensely on what does. We also discuss the changing landscape of college baseball recruiting, the transfer portal, technology in player development, limited resources in Division III athletics, and how coaches can create an advantage by focusing on people and relationships. This is a conversation about much more than baseball. It's about leadership, personal growth, developing people, building culture, and becoming better at what you do. If you're a baseball coach, sports coach, athletic leader, business owner, entrepreneur, or anyone responsible for developing other people , there's a lot to take away from this conversation. In This Episode: Building a championship-level baseball program The connection between coach development and player development Creating clarity within a team Building trust and authentic relationships Developing a strong team culture Recruiting and player development Hiring and empowering great assistant coaches Retaining players in a changing college sports landscape Using technology effectively in coaching Developing hitters, pitchers, and defenders Adapting your coaching philosophy over time Finding competitive advantages and marginal gains Leadership and servant leadership How parenting can make you a better coach Learning from other coaches and sports Why great coaches never stop developing themselves The best coaches don't just develop players. They develop themselves so they can better develop everyone around them. That's what this episode of The Winning Coach is all about.

August 24, 20265 min

The Winning Coach - 13 - Motivation Is Not Your Problem

Get more at PatRigsby.com Motivation Isn't Your Problem: Why Role Clarity, Systems, and Practice Drive Performance Motivation gets a lot of credit—and a lot of blame—in coaching, leadership, and business. But what if motivation isn't actually the problem? In this episode of The Winning Coach Podcast , Pat Rigsby breaks down why business coaches, fitness business owners, and leaders often look for motivation when what their people really need is clarity, systems, tools, training, and consistent practice . A motivational speech might create a temporary burst of energy. But once the adrenaline wears off, performance comes back down to what someone actually knows how to do. Pat explains why great performance starts with clearly defining what "great" looks like in a specific role. Whether you're developing a salesperson, training a gym manager, coaching a team member, or leading an organization, people perform better when they understand exactly what is expected of them and have the tools and systems to execute. You'll learn why role clarity is one of the most overlooked drivers of performance , how clear expectations reduce hesitation and passiveness, and why giving someone a playbook or operations manual isn't enough. The best teams don't just know what to do—they practice doing it until it becomes the standard . For fitness business owners and coaches, this applies to everything from sales and marketing to staff leadership, client retention, coaching performance, and gym operations. In this episode, Pat covers: Why motivation often gets blamed for a role clarity problem How uncertainty creates hesitation and passive performance Why motivational speeches only create temporary results The importance of defining what "great" looks like in every role How metrics can help establish clear performance expectations Why systems and tools are essential for consistent execution How to properly prepare and train your sales team Why giving employees a playbook isn't the same as training them How consistent practice turns expectations into habits What business owners can learn from elite sports teams Why sustainable performance comes from clarity + systems + practice How to build a team that performs at a high level without relying on constant motivation If you're a fitness business owner, gym owner, business coach, entrepreneur, or leader trying to build a better team and improve business performance, this episode will give you a practical framework for getting more out of your people. The goal isn't to constantly motivate people to perform. The goal is to make great performance easier to understand, easier to execute, and easier to repeat. And when you do that, motivation becomes what it should have been all along: icing on the cake.

August 17, 20268 min

The Winning Coach - 12 - You're Missing the Life You're Building

Get more at PatRigsby.com Prepare for the future—but don't miss the present. In this episode of The Winning Coach , Pat Rigsby reflects on 21 years of marriage to Holly and the lessons their journey together has taught him about business, coaching, family, and success. From spending their honeymoon painting walls and staining floors in a gym they were about to open, to building businesses together, coaching baseball, raising a family, and pursuing professional goals, Pat shares a lesson that applies far beyond marriage: The joy isn't in reaching the milestone. The joy is in the journey. It's easy for coaches, entrepreneurs, and business owners to constantly chase the next goal—the bigger gym, more clients, greater revenue, championship, award, or recognition. But sometimes, in our pursuit of the future, we miss the experiences that make the journey worthwhile. Pat shares stories from his marriage, college baseball coaching career, entrepreneurial journey, and family life to explain why the present matters so much. He also discusses how achieving major professional milestones—including having both franchise brands he co-founded recognized in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500—didn't necessarily bring the satisfaction he expected. The real memories came from building, working alongside people, overcoming challenges, and experiencing the journey together. If you're a coach, gym owner, entrepreneur, or simply someone working toward a bigger future, this episode is a reminder to pursue your goals aggressively—but never at the expense of enjoying today. Because the future isn't some distant destination. The future is simply a bunch of todays stacked together. 00:00 – 21 Years of Marriage and a Shared Journey 02:05 – When Your Honeymoon Is Opening a Gym 03:25 – Prepare for the Future, But Live in the Present 05:00 – Why Goals and Aspirations Still Matter 06:35 – The Joy Is in the Journey 08:30 – The Relationships That Stay With You 10:05 – When Achieving the Goal Doesn't Feel the Way You Expected 12:10 – Why Success Can Feel Surprisingly Hollow 13:30 – Building Something Is Often the Real Reward 15:20 – The Journey Applies to Coaching, Business, and Family 17:00 – Don't Miss the Moments While Chasing the Next Thing 18:45 – Your Kids Aren't Going to Be This Age Forever 20:10 – The Future Is Just a Collection of Todays 21:30 – When a Detour Turns Out to Be the Right Direction 23:00 – Be Where Your Feet Are 24:15 – Pursue the Future Without Sacrificing Today

August 10, 20269 min

The Winning Coach - 11 - You're Mistaking Tactics For The Business

Get more at PatRigsby.com Build Your Coaching Business Around What Won't Change The fitness industry is changing constantly. AI is changing. Social media algorithms are changing. Marketing tactics are changing. Consumer preferences are changing. New training trends and business models show up every year. But the fundamentals of building a great coaching business haven't changed. In this episode of The Winning Coach , I talk about why coaches, gym owners, and fitness entrepreneurs need to stop building their businesses around the latest tactic and start building around the things that are durable. Because the goal isn't to figure out the latest Instagram algorithm or find the newest fitness industry trend. The goal is to build a business that can weather change . You still have to acquire clients. You still have to deliver results. You still have to create an experience people value. You still have to build relationships, develop your team, retain clients, operate profitably, and ultimately create a business that allows you to play the role you actually want to play. Those things haven't changed. The tools you use to accomplish them will. That's an important distinction for any gym owner, personal trainer, fitness coach, or fitness business entrepreneur who wants to build something that lasts. In this episode, we look at lessons from both baseball and the fitness business to understand why fundamentals matter more than tactics—and how you can use today's technology, trends, and marketing strategies without becoming dependent on them. If you want to build a profitable fitness business, grow your coaching business, attract and retain more clients, and create a company that isn't completely dependent on you , this is a conversation worth hearing. Build around what changes, and you're constantly starting over. Build around what won't change, and you give yourself a foundation that can last. Listen to The Winning Coach for practical insights on gym business growth, fitness entrepreneurship, coaching business strategy, leadership, marketing, sales, client retention, and building a more valuable fitness business.

August 3, 20267 min

The Winning Coach - 10 - You Don't Have a Team. You Have Talent.

Team vs. Talent: Why Great Coaches Build Culture, Not Just Teams | The Winning Coach Podcast What separates high-performing teams from a group of talented individuals? In this episode of The Winning Coach Podcast , Pat Rigsby breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions about leadership and organizational culture: great teams aren't built by talent alone. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, gym owner, coach, or leader , hiring great people isn't enough. Sustainable success comes from creating an environment where people can thrive, align with a shared vision, and consistently perform at their best. Drawing from decades of experience coaching championship baseball teams and building successful businesses, Pat explains why culture is more than "getting the right people on the bus." He shares the leadership principles that transform individual potential into elite team performance and gives practical ways to evaluate whether your organization is set up for long-term success. In this episode, you'll learn: Why talent alone doesn't create winning teams The real definition of organizational culture How leadership shapes performance from the top down Why vision, values, and role clarity drive accountability The systems every business needs to help employees succeed How coaching and communication unlock your team's potential The difference between hiring great people and building a great organization How entrepreneurs and coaches can audit their team culture for growth If you're looking to build a stronger business, create a high-performance culture, improve leadership, or develop a team that consistently delivers results, this episode provides a practical framework you can implement immediately. Subscribe to The Winning Coach Podcast for weekly insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, business growth, coaching, sales, marketing, team building, and building a business that creates lasting impact. #Leadership #BusinessLeadership #Entrepreneurship #TeamBuilding #CompanyCulture #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #GymOwners #FitnessBusiness #CoachingBusiness #LeadershipDevelopment #OrganizationalCulture #Management #BusinessCoach #PatRigsby

July 27, 20266 min

The Winning Coach - 09 - Stop Running Your Business Like a Startup

Stop Running Your Business Like a Startup | Match Your Strategy to Your Season What got you to this point in business won't necessarily get you to the next level. In this episode of The Winning Coach, Pat Rigsby shares one of the most valuable lessons he learned as a college baseball coach - and how it transformed the way he built and led successful businesses. Just like athletes and teams operate in different seasons with different priorities, entrepreneurs need to recognize that every stage of business requires a different strategy. If you're still operating like you're in startup mode years after launching your business, you may be creating unnecessary stress, slowing your growth, and preventing your team from reaching its full potential. Whether you're a gym owner, fitness coach, personal trainer, or entrepreneur building a service-based business, this episode will help you identify the season you're in and implement the right strategy to grow without burning out. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why startup strategies eventually become growth bottlenecks * How to identify the current season of your business * When it's time to delegate instead of doing everything yourself * The connection between leadership, systems, and sustainable growth * How fitness business owners can scale while creating more freedom * Why aligning your strategy with your season reduces stress and increases results * The leadership shifts every entrepreneur must make as their business grows If you're building a gym, coaching business, fitness studio, or any entrepreneurial venture, this conversation will help you stop grinding unnecessarily and start leading more effectively. If this episode helped you, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Share it with another entrepreneur who needs to hear it. #FitnessBusiness #GymOwner #Entrepreneur #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #FitnessEntrepreneur #PersonalTrainer #OnlineCoach #BusinessCoaching #ScaleYourBusiness #TheWinningCoach #PatRigsby #GymBusiness #FitnessMarketing #BusinessSystems #EntrepreneurMindset #LeadershipDevelopment #coachingbusiness ***** Are you a gym owner who wants to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh

July 20, 20267 min

The Winning Coach - 08 - Build a Business Nobody Can Copy

What separates businesses that last from those that get left behind? In this episode of The Winning Coach , Pat Rigsby breaks down one of the most important business concepts he ever learned from Warren Buffett: building a competitive moat . Too many business owners believe their marketing, technology, or social media is what makes them different. The truth? If your competitors can buy it, copy it, or outsource it, it's not a competitive advantage. Pat explains how the best gym owners, coaches, entrepreneurs, and leaders create businesses that are difficult to replicate by combining consistency, relationships, culture, and unique strengths into something competitors simply can't match. Whether you're growing a fitness business, leading a coaching practice, running a sports program, or building any service-based business, this episode will help you identify what truly separates you from the competition—and how to double down on it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Warren Buffett values businesses with a moat What a real competitive advantage actually looks like Why marketing tactics and technology aren't enough How consistency becomes a long-term business asset Why relationships outperform transactional selling How combining your strengths creates a category of one Practical ways to build a business that's difficult to copy If you're looking to grow your gym, coaching business, or company with sustainable, long-term success instead of chasing the next trend, this episode is for you.

July 13, 20266 min

The Winning Coach - 07 - Your Biggest Advantage Is What Others Won't Do

Most people are looking for an advantage their competitors can't copy. They're looking for a new marketing tactic, a better piece of technology, or a secret strategy that nobody else knows. But what if your greatest competitive advantage is much simpler than that? In this episode of The Winning Coach , Pat Rigsby shares lessons from his early years as a college baseball coach, when he had fewer resources than nearly every program he competed against. Without scholarships, big budgets, or top-notch facilities, he discovered a principle that has shaped his entire career in coaching and business: The biggest advantages often come from doing what other people simply aren't willing to do. Pat explains how consistency, relationship-building, continuous learning, and embracing difficult work create an edge that competitors rarely sustain. He also explores why, in today's world where information and marketing tactics are available to everyone, the real differentiator isn't access - it's execution. Whether you're a gym owner, entrepreneur, business coach, sports performance coach, or leader, this episode will help you identify opportunities to build a business and career that stand the test of time. In this episode, you'll learn: Why doing what others won't creates lasting competitive advantages How consistency compounds into business success Why relationships are still one of the most valuable business assets The difference between advantages that can be copied and those that can't Practical ways entrepreneurs and coaches can separate themselves from the competition If you're ready to stop chasing shortcuts and start building advantages that last, this episode is for you.

July 6, 20267 min

The Winning Coach - 06 - The Coaching Advantage AI Can't Replace

Ready to grow your clientele & revenue? Download "The 20 Client Generators" PDF now and get instant access to strategies that will fill your calendar with potential clients. No complicated tech, no lengthy processes—just real strategies that work. https://info.patrigsby.com/20-client-generators Do you want to stop chasing leads and start attracting them instead? Get Instant Access To The Weekly Client Machine For Just $5.00! https://patrigsby.com/weeklyclientmachine Get Your FREE Copy of Pat's Fitness Entrepreneur Handbook! https://patrigsby.com/feh --- If you're a gym owner, coach, entrepreneur, or business leader , are you building relationships that transform lives - or simply completing transactions? In this episode of The Winning Coach , Pat Rigsby explains why the most successful coaches, fitness business owners, and entrepreneurs don't compete on price, convenience, or the latest trend. They win because they create lasting transformation . As more businesses move toward transactional models, it's becoming easier than ever to blend in. Pat shares why coaches who prioritize relationships, client results, retention, and personal development will continue to outperform competitors - even in industries becoming increasingly commoditized. Whether you own a gym, coach athletes, lead a business, or work with clients in any capacity, this episode will challenge you to rethink how you serve people and build a business that's difficult to replace. In this episode you'll learn: The difference between transformational and transactional coaching Why relationships create a competitive advantage in business How gym owners can improve client retention through better coaching Why transformation is your greatest marketing strategy What entrepreneurs can learn from sports coaching and athlete development How to build a business people never want to leave If you're serious about growing your coaching business, creating loyal clients, and building a lasting reputation, this episode is for you. 0:00 – Introduction: Transactional vs. Transformational Coaching 0:40 – Why more coaches are becoming transactional 2:05 – What gym owners can learn from group training 3:18 – Why transformation creates client loyalty 4:47 – The hidden danger of becoming "just another option" 6:08 – What college sports teaches us about coaching and leadership 8:10 – Why relationships still beat transactions 9:36 – How the best businesses bridge both worlds 10:46 – Advice for entrepreneurs, coaches, and gym owners 12:05 – The timeless truth about what people really want