The Bigger Picture with Lang Wedemeyer, Liberty University Women’s Soccer Head Coach

In Episode 144, Lang Wedemeyer, Head Coach of Liberty University Women’s Soccer, husband, and father, talks with Phil and Paul about his ministry and coaching journey and lessons he has learned along the way, the challenges of transitioning a program from D-1 to D-2, how he is a better coach because of an ill-timed injury, the transfer portal, the importance of mentorship and how Iron Chats are helping coaches, how his faith impacts his coaching, culture building, great lessons from great coaches, a bunch of great book recommendations, and much more. Specifically, Lang discusses:

·      His personal story, including how he grew his passion for soccer, leadership, and coaching, and how he ended up coaching at Liberty University (1:46)

·      Lessons learned from his transition from Division 2 to Division 1 while coaching at South Dakota State (5:23)

·      How the transfer portal is changing the game (9:38)

·      His personal why/life purpose and how he is living it out today (11:41)

·      The importance of mentorship and how Iron Chats are helping coaches lead better and connect with mentors/mentees (14:25)

·      A couple things he wishes he knew when he started coaching a couple decades ago (20:54)

·      How his faith has impacted his coaching and how he has incorporated his faith into his coaching at both a secular and Christian school (24:39)

·      Establishing and maintaining healthy cultures in your teams (29:46)

·      Coaching the different generations over the years (34:35)

·      His defining moment as a player and life lessons he learned from it (39:25)

·      His most influential coaches and how he is using the lessons learned from them in his life today (45:52)

·      His thoughts on the good and bad of US soccer, and how lessons learned in Liberia can help soccer in the US (53:23)

·      How he is using lessons learned from the beautiful game in his relationships outside the game (1:05:22)

·      His recommendations (1:10:40)

Resources and Links from this Episode

·      Iron Chats

·      Video of the Episode

·      HSEL Facebook Group

·      Warrior Way Soccer

·      Providence World (Donations to HSEL Podcast)

·      Coaching the Bigger Game Program

·      Phil’s email for DISC Training

·      Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

·      Positive University Podcast

·      The Ed Mylett Podcast

·      Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More, Mark Batterson

·      The Christian Athlete: Glorifying God in Sports, Brian Smith

·      Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth

·      Inside Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives, Joe Ehrmann

·      Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex, John Gray

·      High Altitude Leadership: What the World’s Most Forbidding Peaks Teach Us About Success, Chris Warner

·      The Vision of a Champion: Advice and Inspiration from the World’s Most Successful Women’s Soccer Coach, Anson Dorrance & Gloria Averbuch