12 | Jonathan Van Horn on The Power of Stories

Written By Evan Burk
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Jonathan Van Horn is a National Soccer Director for Athletes in Action, where he currently works with college and professional teams on character and team development, and also hosts the SHIFT Podcast, which focuses on assisting athletes through successful transitions in sport and in life.

In this conversation, Evan Burk talks to Jonathan about how he started working with athletes early in his career, why emotional and character development is more important now than ever, and the immense power of the stories we tell to others and ourselves.

Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Tune into this episode to hear:

  • 2:00 | Starting to work with athletes transitioning out of sports

  • 6:00 | Working a The Ohio State University with football and wrestling teams

  • 8:45 | Emphasis on the value of relationships

  • 12:30 | Career of mentoring athletes and working with teams

  • 14:45 | Where athletes struggle the most?

  • 19:00 | The Power of stories

  • 22:30 | Working with athletes and teams through his SHIFT Course and framework

  • 30:00 | The Importance of emotional and character development

  • 37:00 | Looking for character and how to develop character

  • 39:30 | Starting with "The Iceberg" when working with athletes

  • 41:00 | Jonathan's purpose for writing the book

Learn more about Jonathan:

Learn more about Evan:

 
Evan Burk

Evan Burk is a speaker, former NFL coach, and podcast host who uses the sports world as his backdrop to engage audiences with thought-provoking lessons of leadership, team-building, and creating championship cultures.

Evan Burk is not your typical football coach. Despite not playing football beyond high school and no network in the coaching profession, Evan's unlikely football journey began as a 4th grade coach, where he quickly worked his way to the NFL in just 6 years, and included coaching for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, UCLA, and SMU.

After spending fifteen-plus years working with the highest-performing athletes, coaches, and teams on the planet, Coach Burk uses his unique football coaching background to teach people how to utilize the same strategies in business and life that elite players and teams use to perform at a world-class level.

Evan received his B.S. in business management from the University of Colorado, and his Master of Liberal Studies degree from Southern Methodist University. He also hosts his own weekly sports leadership podcast, The Highest Level, where he reveals how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

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