Why Coach to Coach Gossip Can Create Toxic Gym Cultures, and How To Fix It -

This week on the podcast we discuss a very important topic, with my buddy Nick Roddick, and mental health counselor Rebecca Grady, who was recently on the podcast.

We touch an ‘elephant on the room topic’ that I think so many people in gymnastics are realizing is a huge problem and needs addressing.

Which is; coach to coach relationships, staff gossip, and drama, which can really bring the vibe down in a gym.

We talk about where these things stem from, whether they’re related to coaching ego, personal conflicts, or if your gym just isn’t the best fit for your own morals.

We review all the things that we’ve experienced, what we’ve gone through and offer people constructive solutions on what to do because we know this is a huge problem a lot of gyms face.

It really can make things uncomfortable, and challenging for many coaches, or gymnasts, or parents to kind of operate in that space.

Because un-resolved conflicts or talking behind people’s backs, or someone who’s got personal life stuff going on and is dragging it into the gym is a huge catalyst for negative problems.

While it’s important to talk about the gymnast-coach connection, oftentimes we forget about how important it is to have a coaching team where people are open in communicating, are willing to work on themselves, and admit when they need to progress.

Having really good discussions and interactions that are built on trust with co-workers or others in the gym. We discuss:

Nick and Becca’s experiences with not-so-great coaching teams and coaching dynamics, and what they thought were the root causes for them were.
Why empathy, communication, and the ability to deal with problems, not in front of the athletes or parents and not on social media is so important.
Nick shares his ideas on philosophy differences and how to compromise when someone thinks differently, with how you should coach skills and drills, but also how you should run a gym.
Having the right mindset, you don’t know what you don’t know.
A mental health perspective on how to have harder conversations? They sound great but the idea is terrifying for so many coaches.
Stress research; how social connections or bonds can either be the biggest source of stress for some or it can be the biggest buffer of stress be protective and build resilience.
Why being part of a team isn’t trying to make people like each other, it’s about making people respect each other.
Why when you’re trying to find a gym to fit into, it is not a case of how good you are, it’s about how compatible you are.

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