EPISODE 287: SHAWNEE HARLE

This episode is a powerful, honest conversation with Coach Shawnee Harle about leadership, fear, vulnerability, and what it truly means to coach athletes in today’s environment. Returning to the podcast more than two years after her first appearance, Coach Harle challenges coaches to rethink how they listen, how they lead, and how fear silently shapes behavior on the sidelines.

We dive deep into the idea that athletes want to be seen, heard, and understood — and why many coaches unintentionally block that by leading with agendas instead of curiosity. Coach Harle explains why vulnerability is not weakness, how emotional intelligence is often stunted by sport culture, and why helping athletes trust themselves may be more important than getting them to trust the coach.

This episode is filled with practical insight, reflection, and uncomfortable-but-necessary truths for coaches, parents, and leaders who care about long-term impact more than short-term wins.

Topics covered in this episode:🏀 Why listening is one of the most underdeveloped coaching skills🧠 Helping athletes feel seen, heard, and understood💬 Asking better questions in one-on-one meetings😨 How fear shows up in coaches and athletes❤️ Heart work vs surface-level coaching🛡️ Psychological safety and why leaders must go first🌱 The gardener analogy for coaching and development🤝 Trust, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence in sport📉 How fear of losing can trap coaches in a “scoreboard prison”🔄 Shifting from sage on the stage to guide on the side🧩 Developing athletes as thinkers, not robots🔥 Why winning matters — but what it can never matter more than

This conversation is especially valuable for:• High school and college coaches• Youth coaches and program leaders• Coaches navigating new jobs or transitions• Anyone struggling with fear, insecurity, or pressure in leadership• Coaches who want deeper relationships with their players

Coach Shawnee Harle brings wisdom, honesty, and clarity that challenges traditional coaching narratives and pushes leaders to ask harder questions — starting with themselves.

Connect with Coach Shawnee Harle:

Instagram/X: @shawneeharle

Website: shawneeharle.com

If this episode challenged you, encouraged you, or made you reflect on your own coaching journey, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with another coach who needs to hear it.

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