How Great Coaches Teach More Than Sports | Evan Johnsen

TRANSCRIPT: How Great Coaches Create Lasting Impact with Evan Johnsen

Roger Kastner: Remember that coach or teacher who had a big impact on you when you were a kid? Mr. Cullinan was my soccer coach in high school, and I don't remember a thing he taught me about soccer, but he did teach me a lot about being a good teammate about kindness and just because the pickles for McDonald's cheeseburgers do stick to windows.

It doesn't mean that we should throw our pickles against the windows. Many of us were fortunate enough to have a positive role model when we were kids, and for myself, it's easy to see the profound impact it had on who I am today. And while we appreciate those teachers and coaches for the impact they had on our lives, if you've been a mentor, a coach, or an instructor, you know how rewarding and fulfilling it is to be in that role.

Today I get the opportunity to talk with Evan Johnson, the Vice President of Programs and Development at First Tee Greater Seattle, and get to learn about how he uses his superpower to inspire and empower young people through the game of golf 

Evan Johnsen: people, adult kids, it doesn't matter. Um, they don't care what you know until they know that you care.

And so I thought about it, it almost sounded kind of cheesy, but, uh, my, my mantra, it might not be my superpower, is empathy. And I think every great coach out there has empathy for every one of their players, their students, their co-coach, their opponents, the other team. And that's just a matter of putting yourself in their shoes.

And that's how you become a really good sport. It's how you bring the best out of somebody. It's how you understand the challenges they're going through. Um, and so yeah, relating with, with my own stories, you know, it makes you human. 

Roger:  As someone who has played a variety of sports throughout my life, as well as coach youth sports for 14 seasons across four different sports.

I know the demands, the opportunities, and the rewards of sports, both as a player and as a coach. In this conversation, you can tell Evan brings a lot of intention, purpose, and meaning to his craft, and it's the interaction with the young people and the other coaches. That fills him up. 

Evan: So a lot of golfers have to force themselves to get in that habit of, of laughing after a bad shot, you know?

Um, you know, having fun with it. And you know about my job, about golf. I've had several people over the years just say, if we're not enjoying this, we're doing it wrong. Right. And you wonder, is that also true about life? 

Roger:  Hi, I'm Roger Kasner and I'm the host of the What Do You Know To Be True Podcast. For over 25 years, I've been working with leaders and teams to co-create pathways to being better versions of themselves, and these conversations are intended to amplify the stories and experiences of people who have done just that.

In these conversations, I talk with ordinary people about their extraordinary talent and the meaningful impact it has on others. The goal is not to try to emulate or hack our way to a new talent. Instead, the intention is to learn more about their experiences with their superpower. And in doing so, maybe we can learn something about the special talent, each of us that drives us towards our potential in living into our possibilities.

If you're ready. Let's dive in.

Hey Evan, thank you for joining me today. I'm grateful that we got this time together. 

Evan: Thanks for having me, Roger. I'm pleased to be here. 

Roger: Oh, my pleasure. I'm excited to learn more about your superpower of inspiring and empowering young people through the game of golf. But before we get to that. What's important for us to know about you?

Evan: Well, I, uh, I am a golfer and I'm known as a PGA professional. I worked for the first tee of Greater Seattle, which is a youth development program through golf. I grew up in Washington state. Um, I did play golf and other sports growing up. I went to college in Southern California. Uh, I loved the Pacific Northwest.

It's a beautiful place. It's not always known as being a bastion of golf, uh, golf Haven, if you will. But there are quite a few, uh, amazing places to play here. Uh, an amazing golf community. I'm involved, uh, for more reasons than just swinging the club and shooting low scores. I just, I love what I do here at First Tee and I know, um, you know.

You know, we're gonna talk about that today. Um, I've found a place to employ my superpower, so, um, that's what's exciting about, about what I do on a daily basis. 

Roger: So, yeah. Tell us a little bit more about First Tee. 

Evan: First Tee was founded nationally in 1997, and there are 150 chapters around the country and a few international chapters.

Uh, I joined as a volunteer in 2009 here at the Greater Seattle chapter. Which was founded in 2003. So this chapter really had its footing, uh, its framework before I even got involved or knew that it existed, for that matter. Was fortunate to get recruited to start volunteering and working with kids, and I always loved coaching youth.

I loved the game of golf and I loved giving back and, you know, inspiring the community, contributing myself towards something that matters. And so I started just as a volunteer once a week. That became, I. More of a role with the chapter. I started coaching a couple days a week. I became a coordinator of one of our sites and then in 2012 I took the job as program director.

So all of a sudden I was in charge of all the kids and all the coaches and the operations at the chapter, which was really exciting. And it's kind of amazing how time flies. But uh, that was 13 years ago. 

Roger: And there's something about the game of golf that I have found. To be different than most other sports.

There's life lessons to be found in all sports. I think sports is a laboratory for life and especially at the youth level where, you know, most, most kids, they're not gonna get contracts, they're not gonna turn pro that day. So parents settle down. But there are, there are real lessons to be learned, not only about leadership, but about how to be good teammates, how to be good humans.

Is there a reason why golf? Is better suited for that than say maybe baseball or football? 

Evan: It's a great question, and I don't know if I'd say better. But I would say golf gives you some really unique opportunities. Uh, I grew up playing many more sports before I was introduced to golf, and I think young people, people of any age, can learn about themselves.

Um, through sports, you learn about integrity and teamwork, like you said, and honesty, sportsmanship, how to overcome challenges, how to pursue goals, how to deal with failure. Golf is very unique though, and it's why the first TEE was founded and exists and continues to thrive. Um, we're not here to train young people to become professional golfers, but what we are here to do is help them transition successfully to adulthood and golf gives us all these opportunities on a daily basis to learn about.

Um, all these things we talk about, you know, and ultimately build character development. Um, that's what we're here to do. We're help, we're here to help young people find their potential. I. Dig in and really learn about themselves and then employ that in any aspect of their life. Certainly off the golf course, if they decide to pursue golf as an activity in the competitive world, that's fantastic.

But what we like to say is no matter what they're shooting out there, those are the kids who are gonna be shaking hands after round of golf. Whether they win or lose, they'll be good teammates, good leaders, and our tagline is. Building game changers. So what we want to do is help young people tap into their potential and be great individuals for their community and also for themselves as they grow up.

Roger: And I, I alluded to this event that's coming up. It's an event that I'm, I'm lucky enough to be a part of, and I'm really excited to, uh, spend an, uh, full day with you. Um, and the rest of the, um, I'll call 'em volunteers, uh, that will be out, uh, helping to raise funds for the first tee outta Chambers Bay. But tell us a little bit about the Solstice event coming up.

Evan: Yeah, I'm really glad you're gonna play. This is the sixth year of the Chambers Bay Solstice. Uh, and I thought it was a great idea, but kind of a crazy one to have people play all day at Chambers Bay, not just 18 holes, which is the tough walk, but as many as they could play in a single day. And when you say it's a full day event, I mean, we're talking before sunrise, we say dust to dawn.

So before sunrise till, you know, darkness at night, uh, it's 17 hours of golf. If you play the full day, it's 72 holes. And like I said, the 18 walking 18 holes at Chambers Bay is a challenge nonetheless. 72. Uh, we have a hundred golfers in the field and they're out there. C you know, committed to two challenges.

One, playing as much golf as they possibly can in one day, and two, raising as much money as they possibly can for the youth at First Tee. So sometimes that can be inspiring enough to carry you through another nine holes or 18 that you didn't think you could do. Um, it's, it's a fantastic event. Uh, like I said, it's the sixth year.

We've raised about a half million dollars for the first tee so far, and excited for another great year. This year. 

Roger: Chambers is a deceptively difficult walk. Because it's only 250 feet of elevation gain from the lowest point to the highest point. But all of that elevation gain, you go up and down, up and down, up and down.

Um, I, it's about seven. It's a seven mile walk for 18. I've done, I've done 36 there before. I've been lucky enough to do 36, and that's a long walk. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to hang with you for the 72 holes, but I will, I will do my best. 54 is my goal. And maybe with a couple breaks in between.

What have you found to be like good tips to how to survive that day? 

Evan: Great question. It, yeah, it's about 28 miles of walking, 55,000 steps. If you do the full day of 72 holes. So obviously comfortable footwear. Is really key. Uh, you know, we set the tournament up for the players to be successful, so things like really intentional food and beverage options throughout the day.

What you don't want is a gut bomb of a breakfast sandwich at the first turn, you know, or a hot dog in the middle of the day. It might be what you're craving, but we've worked with some local nutritionists. To help us understand what's the best food you can eat for, um, you know, that, that lasting nutrition and energy throughout the day, and it's gonna be fruit and nuts and hard boiled eggs and small, you know, um, wraps and electrolytes.

Uh, one of those years I was trying to avoid sugar, so I just drank water and. You know, there's no shade at Chambers Bay. So, and you know, usually in June it's pretty warm. You're gonna sweat a lot. So you need to replace those electrolytes in your body. Um, and that sodium. So those are key. Uh, we also have a, uh, transition zone we call it.

So after every nine holes, you come through the transition zone, you have a tote box with anything you've brought, um, for yourself for the day. So. Definitely recommend as many socks as you can fit in that thing. You want to change your socks every nine or 18 holes. You can be a game changer. We do have to keep a pretty good pace.

So I'd like to say relax and take your time. Um, the key there is score does not matter during the Chambers Bay Solstice. So your score on the course, uh, as far as the rest of the field is concerned, there's no tournament scoring. There are no prizes related to scores. So if you hit a bad one, just pick it up and move along.

Roger: Like, I'm not trying to like create sympathy for us golfers who are gonna choose to spend the day at one of the best courses in the world with, you know, yes. It'll be summer here in the Pacific Northwest, or it might be like 72 degrees. Like it does. These are, it, it, it. You know, it's a lovely thing to be a part of because it's for supporting the first tee, and I'm super grateful to be a part of it.

But it's no walk in the park. I mean, it literally is a park and you do have to walk. There's no carts. But I'm super excited for this and super excited to be raising money for. For the first tee. I've had friends who've been volunteers in it, and our mutual friend Alan Borgata, who's on the board, uh, I was just so, so, uh, grateful when he, uh, asked me to be part of it.

So I'm really excited to be part of the event. You're super power of inspiring and empowering young people through the sport of golf. What or who inspired you to have this superhero power? 

Evan: Yeah, I think it's evolved over time. Um, I, I grew up as a. You know, same as anybody else. Um, kind of pursuing my goal, my own goals, I might say.

Um, through academics, through sports, golf specifically. I did play golf in college and like many young golfers, I had a dream of playing professionally. I did go through a phase, you know, post-college I was. Trying to see how far I could get in the game, playing a lot of tournament golf. And the phase that I went through was realizing I'm probably never gonna be out there playing with Tiger Woods and Rory McElroy, you know, and PGA tour events, and the realization that I.

You might be capped that your potential in the game might be capped, and I almost refused to believe that. I thought it was just a matter of effort and energy and commitment that could carry me that far. And I've, I've always been a hard worker. I would always get the Mr. Hustle award growing up. Right.

It's usually getting maybe more out of my physical skill or my ability than, than, um, some others could just by hard work and, and effort. But that realization made me look back and wonder, what was it all for? If I'm not gonna take golf to the next level? Why have I played all these years? I could have been doing other things, you know, all those times on the driving range, just so my hands bled.

And early mornings and late nights and maybe sacrificing time with academics or friends or other sports. And so you start to reflect and maybe even have some regrets based on how far you got. And I will be honest, it was getting involved in First Tee that made me realize what was what it was all for. I was able to take what I had gained over those years, all those, not just golf talent, but understanding of the game and networks and people and connections I had made.

And that was all just opportunities to help encourage the next generation of golfers. So then once I got involved in First Tee, and I'd go out in a play in a tournament. I wasn't just playing for my own score I was playing so that I could come back and tell stories to kids in the program and not just stories about my own success, but actually stories about my own failures and, and doubts and, you know, rules, questions I had on the course.

And I just truly felt like I was playing for something bigger than myself. And that meant more to me than, than any round of golf ever had. 

Roger: So there's a part of this is where it's storytelling, it's passing down your stories to, to the youth to help inspire them. To help, yeah. Inspire and empower as your superpower.

Evan: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, that's, that's what coaching is about. Um, I am a manager at First Tee. I'm the director of programs and development. So one of the things I learned too, I, I talk about inspiring young people, but. My goal is also to inspire adults. Uh, we have 250 coaches and volunteers at First Tee who work with youth, so there came a time when I realized my best investment will always be with the kids, but my best investment is also to be working with with adults.

Who are working directly with kids, finding their potential. A lot of people who haven't played tournament golf and may have doubts about their own ability to teach the game. And of course, what we do is far more than just how to hold the club and how to hit the ball far and straight. So that storytelling as a coach, those anecdotes, that's really how you connect with people.

It's not just the content. Right. And, you know, building relationships. Um, the, the famous saying is that. People, adult kids, it doesn't matter. Um, they don't care what you know until they know that you care. And so I thought about it, it almost sounded kind of cheesy, but, uh, my, my mantra, it might not be my superpower, is empathy.

And I think every great coach out there as empathy for every one of their players, their students, their co-coach, their opponents, the other team. And that's just a matter of putting yourself in their shoes. And that's how you become a really good sport. It's how you bring the best out of somebody. It's how you understand the challenges they're going through.

Um, and so yeah, relating with, with my own stories, you know, it makes you human. 

Roger: It's what I've learned through these conversations is people who are living into their superpower find that curiosity, empathy, and connection. Are the amplifiers for their superpower. And you've already talked about two, right?

You've already talked about empathy and you talked about connection. So now I'm curious about what's the role of curiosity in your superpower? 

Evan: If you ask me what inspires me to, to be better, what inspires me to continue to learn and perform this role at, in my chapter, it's the kids themselves. Not just the ability to serve them and provide this environment for them, but buy them and, and I'm not alone.

Uh, a lot of youth sports coaches will say this. Certainly everybody here at First Tee, we start by being here to give back and what we can give to them. It's just a matter of time before you realize what they've given to you. And kids have an amazing ability to see everything through fresh eyes and with energy and enthusiasm.

In one of your previous conversations, you were talking about the amount of laughter that kids have versus adults. They find things funny. Shocking, right? And, and there's a, it's not just, well, once you become an adult, it's time to stop laughing so much. We gotta take things seriously, right? What if we could carry that on our whole lives?

What's wrong with that? You know, it's a, it's a joyful way of seeing the world around us. We're gonna have to deal with challenges. We're gonna have to pursue our goals. We're gonna have to get through each day. Why not enjoy it and laugh about it? 

Roger: I'm right there with you. And I think one of the reasons I actually do think golf is one of the best sports for life lessons.

Um, only because there is no perfect I. Like, yes, in baseball you can, you know, full count, bottom of the ninth, down by three bases loaded, hit the grand slam and win the game. That's about as perfect as it comes. We're throwing a perfect game. Um, football, there's, there's plays that seem perfect, but in golf there's, you know, it's, it's a game of misses.

It's a game of, of imperfection as, as much more famous golfers have said. But for me, it's. It's really learning how to deal with that adversity that is such a teacher for me. And just this weekend I duffed a tea shot, you know, good 30 yards into the, just into the woods. Just horrible shot. And I forced myself to laugh and just laugh at it because, you know, although my natural instinct might be to, you know, make another sound, um, laughter not only helps me deal with it, but the people around me.

I think is also gonna, you know, it, it makes me a little bit easier to hang out with for the next day, you know, 15 minutes on that hole. But I think it also puts them at ease if there's laughter instead of, and like maybe we can carry that to other aspects of our life. Not everything is funny in life, but these little things like a tea shot really inconsequential except for your score.

Other than that, like why not laugh at these little mistakes and why not just, you know, we'll be so much better when we are accepting. Of things not going the way we're hoping to, uh, versus fighting it. And that whole, your resistance versus flow is very big. And, and this is, this is the, the lessons I'm trying to teach myself even to this day with playing golf.

Evan: The director of Instruction at Bandon Dunes, he's, uh, grant Rogers, he's, he's also affectionately known as the Wizard of Bandon Dunes. He's a master PJ professional, his late seventies, and often teaches in anecdotes. He loves to tell stories, um, and we take our staff down there once a year and get a clinic with him on how to coach, not just how to play, but how to coach.

And his number one lesson, uh, don't make them worse. We always get a kick outta that one. Um, and a laugh. Uh, we get a good laugh by the way. Uh, he also says you need to learn to laugh at adversity. A word you just used. Right. Um, I would also be careful, you don't wanna always wanna laugh at somebody else's adversity.

Oh yeah. That might not be received so well. So you're always welcome to laugh at your own shots and then maybe wait till they're laughing. Um, but yeah, the shot's already been hit. The ball's already on its way. Nothing we can do about it. Right. We still wanna learn from it. Move on to the next one. Um, but, you know, one of my mentors, uh, David Ey, he worked with the Uni University of Washington women's team, um, and was instrumental in helping them win and, and working with the coach Mary Lou MFer, the head coach of the women's team.

Uh, they won the national Championship in 2016. Uh, go Dogs. Uh, they, uh, David's, uh, one of his, his primary teaching is that performance equals skill minus interference. 

So one, build your skill to whatever level you're capable and also reduce the interferences. And for a lot of high level performers in any sport, he works with surgeons, uh, musicians, not just golfers, right?

One of the primary goals is to reduce those interferences, and so you have to identify what they are. But, but anger and grief and frustration, all of those are interferences. Those do not contribute towards your performance. Whereas happiness and laughter and joy, uh, those are contributors. So a lot of golfers have to force themselves to get in that habit of, of laughing after a bad shot, you know, um, you know, having fun with it.

And you know about my job, about golf. I've had several people over the years just say, if we're not enjoying this, we're doing it wrong. Right? And you wonder, is that also true about life? 

Roger: So this is the season of Joy for this podcast series, and I'm always interested in learning more about people's relationship between their superpower and joy.

And you're already starting to talk a little bit about it, but what would, how would you describe your relationship between your superpower and joy? 

Evan: So, I have a lot of responsibilities here, um, with our organization and we, when I say we, um, myself and my colleagues, we all agree on a couple things. One is we've never had a bad day coaching.

And often if we aren't in our best state of mind, it's probably 'cause we haven't seen the kids very, very frequently, right? And so obviously those two things go together. It's the kids and the youth that really fuel our inspiration and give us that joy, which we then give back. It becomes a snowball effect, right?

We're having fun. They're having fun. We know that they're gonna grow in the long term. They're not gonna build all these life skills and golf skills in one day or one week or one season. Or even one year. And what's the reason they want to come back Because they're having fun When you're a kid, that's what matters the most, right?

People are nice to me, and it was fun. And sometimes the snacks were tasty, right? Truthfully. But, but those first two things. And so the, we find the same thing for adults, right? Our our needs. And our criteria expands a little bit. We're starting to think about career growth and, um, how is this time, this, this, um, you know, this experience gonna serve me well in the future.

Kids might be a little more myopic that way. They're thinking about what's fun today in this moment, right? I don't want to go to bed, you know, it's, I wanna stay up. Even though, you know practically well, if you get a good night's sleep, you're gonna be. Better serve tomorrow for school and all these things you have to do, right?

Of course we can be the same way. Um, but we wanna have fun while we're out there. And so I just say, uh, you know, my superpower being to inspire and empower also is not limitless. Um, I'm a human as well and so I have bad days, but helping identify what fuels me and what provides me the inspiration, um, is important too.

I. You know, we're not machines and it's not a matter of a simple formula. So for me, uh, if I need some inspiration and I need to be my, my better self, I go find a class and I go coach. And when I say coach, sometimes, I mean just be coached, you know? Um, when we're coaching, we've got our coach name tag on.

We're there, we're youth centered. Um, the kids are our primary focus, but uh, it's just being out there with them. They've inspired me to enjoy my job more, enjoy the game of golf more. Um, and that, that's definitely what keeps me going. 

Roger: Hmm. I love that. And you work at a really wonderful facility, the Bill Wright Golf Complex at Jackson Park.

I. Um, I, you know, it, it sometimes isn't the best golf course, sometimes isn't the best driving range. You know, there's, there's planes flying over all the time and there's that busy Beacon Avenue. Um, but there's so much activity going on between the range, between the nine hole course between. There's, it seems like there's always a class going on.

The high school kids that come and play their, the golf course, just the whole vibe of the place, that's a really special place for golf. And it's not the best golf course in Seattle, but it's definitely one of my favorite golf courses. It's my favorite in the city for sure. Um, and it's all for the vibe and the having the program there.

The first TEE program is a major part of being part of that community. What, tell me a little bit about what it's like to be at. The Bill Wright Golf Center. 

Evan: Yeah. And, uh, it, it was renamed to the Bill Wright Golf Complex. Just last year. Uh, great story. I won't get into too much, but, um, bill Wright grew up playing here, um, at what was known as Jefferson Park.

It was built in 1913. It's been around over a hundred years. Um, and he grew up, uh, playing here when he was a kid with the first State golf program, which is the second all black golf organization in the country. Um, helping ensure that everybody could play this game even when it wasn't so easy. Golf has a history of, um, was pretty segregationist, um, back then, right?

Uh, and so Bill Wright grew up playing in the First State program and, um, actually went to a local college, was not allowed to play golf for them, transferred to Western Washington where he was allowed to play on the golf team. Never played as a professional, but he went on to play. He was the first black champion of A-U-S-G-A uh, tournament.

Um, and it was the US Public Links, I think 1959. Um, he won, he won the US public links. And so, um, he passed away just a few years ago. And, um, you know, the local community, the Beacon Hill Community Council got together and wanted to recognize him in some way and. Thomas Jefferson, uh ha really didn't have any history here in Seattle.

Um, so, uh, there, you know, there was a strong push and um, you know, the community got together and you know, that renaming happened in October. I just think it's a testament to the perspective of, of golf being about more than just this game and what it can do for community and how it can invite kids in from all backgrounds, kids and people.

Um, and it doesn't matter what you shoot out there. Bill Wright won that championship. He won lots of golf tournaments, but the majority of people who play at Jefferson Park, bill Wright, uh, they don't even play competitive golf. They're here to have fun, meet their friends after work. I. Bring their nephew or their niece to show 'em the game for the first time.

Have lunch, enjoy a sunny day with the family. Even play foot golf out there with soccer balls. It's a true public park and we're really fortunate to have the support of the Seattle Parks Department, um, who owns this great piece of property and all the other Seattle golf courses and continues to support it and invest in it.

Um, we play a role in that too, um, because they want this to be a community asset. And for anyone who doesn't play golf, uh, you don't, the sport can be kind of intimidating, right? A lot of people are afraid to go out to a golf course and bring their clubs. They're gonna think, they think everybody knows what they're doing.

And I'm gonna look silly and, uh, just come out to Bill Wright someday and walk around, grab a club, try it out. You'll see that. Are a lot of people trying the game for the first time, so that's also inspiring just to see how many people can, can play the game, you know, and enjoy it. 

Roger: Yeah. And sometimes people have been playing for a long time look like they've never, never taken a shot before.

No. I love, I love when I, whenever I'm up there, whether it is, if it's playing around or just practicing, it's, um, it's what, you know, what a community experience should be like. And I, I, I love, I love that place and I love that they named it, renamed it after Bill Wright. Thank you for that, for the little bit of history there.

I really appreciate that. So what do you know to be true? Your superpower of inspiring and empowering young people through the sport of golf? 

Evan: Uh, I'd say that it has limits. Um, you know, uh, we are all human and we're subject to good days and bad to our own doubts and our own mistakes. And, um, you know, what I learned is that that's okay is to accept that just like a bad shot on the golf course.

You also have to understand, um, what fills your tank. You know, we talk about the emotional tanks of young people, right? And, um, in, in my case, in a lot of ours, uh, that also goes for adults. Um, I used to coach kids and manage adults. I was going through as much training and as education as I could to become the best youth coach I could be.

And then I would manage coach kinda like the front of the house, back of the house, right. It was a different mentality and we need to do this, this, and this and this and what do you mean you did that? And um, and then I would be joyful and boisterous and empowering with young people. But I admittedly I wasn't really that way with adults 'cause I was managing them.

Right. I had expectations and we're gonna do our best because they deserve it. The kids, right. Um, and I. I've had some great mentors and I am an open book and believe in continuous learning. So it was just a matter of time before I was gonna learn. Um, but now I look at everybody as the equal, you know, in terms of how we approach.

And so now I coach kids, I also coach coaches, I coach adults. And I take that same approach. And the final step in that process is coaching myself. We talk about being a mentor. As you build a relationship, you learn about that person. You maintain high positive expectations and then you remain an advocate for that person, right?

You gotta build that relationship first. You really have to know the person before you start having expectations or before serving as their advocate. 'cause you have to know what's best for them and what they want in their life, and you have to know what their potential is and all those things. I think you have to go through that same process for yourself.

You have to really know yourself, know your own goals. Be honest about it. Um, and then like I said, give yourself grace and be your own best advocate. 

Roger: I love that response. It reminds me of recently we had Dr. Adam Dorsey on, um, and talking about, um, his book, super Psych, the Four Connections, and the first connection he talks about is the connection with oneself.

And really understanding oneself. And I think that's, that's work of a lifetime. I know I'm still working on that for myself. Um, and you know, coaching other people might seem like it comes easier, but I think the quality of coaching other people will go up the more we're connected with ourselves. So I love that response.

Evan: Yeah, I, uh, you know, in my college years, I, I studied psychology and, um, legal studies, but I really enjoyed psychology. Uh, I think sometimes we can get caught up into having a certain personality type, right? You can go through the colors and you can go through the kolby tests, and you can go through all these tests and figure out exactly who you are, but then you're also sometimes pigeonholing yourself.

So it's a matter of understanding yourself and also understanding that. You know, there's no limit on how you can change and grow and evolve as a person, you know, but you have to do that mindfully. We all have tendencies, you know, um, nature and nurture. Um, they all matter, right? We have our history and we have our experiences.

Um, but you can set goals for yourself. I think what's really key is building relationships with other people who you can trust, who can give you feedback, um, being open to it. And, um, those people in your life, you know, are, they, say you're, you're a, a, an amalgamation of the five people you spend the most time with right in your life.

And you do wanna make sure that if that's true, those five or those 10 people, um, are influencing you in a positive way and do want, do hold your best interests at heart, you know, 

Roger: well said. So, Evan, are you ready for the lightning round? 

Evan: Let's go. 

Roger: So fill in the blank. Inspiring and empowering young people through the sport of golf is 

Evan: my job.

Roger: You're the first person who said that, uh, and I love that. Um, that does seem like the obvious answer.

Who in your life provides inspiring and empowering youth through the sport of golf for you? I think that better said is like who provides inspiration, empowerment for you when it comes to being a great coach? 

Evan: Each one of the kids I work with individually, they are the most honest and open. It's the most honest and open feedback loop with kids you could ever imagine.

Roger: Right. Yeah. They don't, they don't figure out like how to coach it. There's no like, compliment sandwich. There's no, like, I'm, I'm gonna tell you five things you do, right? So I could tell you the one critique. It's like, oh, your breath smells today. 

Evan: Totally no filter. 

Roger: Is there a practice or routine that helps you grow, nurture, or renew your superpower?

Evan: I love the outdoors, and it's a form of meditation. So for me, uh, hiking, paddle boarding, anything where I have to put the phone away and I can just listen to the sounds of nature and get lost in my own thoughts, 

Roger: something very valuable in that. The idea of putting the phone away. I recently heard someone talk about how on average people are spending three hours a day on their phone, which in a lifetime, that's 10 years straight of being on our phone.

And in hearing that, it's like. Oh, I now wanna spend less time on my phone, just like if I could have 10 years back of being present, of being in the moment, being with other people versus on my phone. Yeah, putting away the phone's Important there. Is there a book or a movie that you recently watched or read that you would recommend that has inspiring and empowering others as a theme?

Evan: There's a movie called The Long Game, and it's about an, a team of Mexican American young golfers who fought, uh, injustice and, um, a lot of segregation in the game of golf. They weren't allowed to play in tournaments. They would get ridiculed for their skill and how they dressed. I. And, you know, it's a feelgood movie about, um, how their coach believed in them, had been through a lot of that himself, and they gained the notoriety and the respect of everybody else in their conference and eventually the country.

So, uh, I just, I love that underdog story. 

Roger: What is one thing that gets in your way of inspiring and empowering young people through the sport of golf? 

Evan: Sometimes I try to do too much. And I think, um, you know, the doctor was talking about that in one of your recent podcasts is, uh, what is urgent and what is important, and it's just a matter of prioritizing.

So making space for the things that are important in your life. Um, sometimes, you know, with what I do, and a lot of people who, uh, work for a nonprofit or in something that they believe in, even if they're an entrepreneur and they're running a business, um, we don't know where to stop. And we can run our tanks empty.

So doing what we believe in and, and, uh, the problem is then you're, you don't bring your best self the next day we have to leave something in the tank. So kind of knowing where to, where to pause, um, and sometimes just, uh, make sure you're in a good place. 

Roger: Something like every nine holes. Taking care of your own needs, like fueling up, maybe changing a pair of socks, maybe.

Yeah. Hopefully not putting an IV bag in, but yeah. Yeah, that's right. Taking care of yourself so you can be your best. Yeah. Love that. If an audience member wanted to ask you a question or follow up with you or donate to first T, where do you wanna point them to? 

Evan: Yeah, so, uh, shoot me an email, mailto:Evan@thefirstteeseattle.org.

I'm also on Instagram coach Evan, uh, and then http://www.firsttseattle.org. And we have some fun campaigns. We have events like the chambers based solstice to get involved with. You can coach, volunteer if you have kids or grandkids, nieces and nephews who'd want to join the program. We invite them to. So, um, yeah, more the merrier.

Roger: Wonderful. And I'll put all those links in the description and might even float 'em down below us right now. Um, and also first T is a national organization, correct? 

Evan: It is, uh, greater Seattle is its own 501 C3, and so is First Tee nationally. So like I said, there are 150 chapters like us around the country.

Mm-hmm. All serving kids in their community. So no matter where you live in the United States, there is a first two chapter close to you. 

Roger: Oh, thank you for that Good plug. No matter where you're at, you could always support and you could also support me or Evan on the Chambers Bay Solstice golf, hon. Um, as we try to try to do more than 54 holes, I promise I'll do my best.

But, um, yeah, I love the advice of, you know, bringing, bringing a, another pair of socks, couple pairs of shoes, um, and ultimately, like you said before. What's important is to have fun, be with good people, and bring good snacks. And I think that's not only great advice for the course, it's just good advice in life.

Agreed. Evan, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much for your time and your wisdom here. Really appreciate it. 

Evan: You too, Roger. Thanks for everything you do. 

Roger: Hmm. Take care. Bye-bye.

Thank you all for being in this conversation with us, and thank you, Evan, for sharing your wisdom about being a coach to other coaches, to yourself, and especially to the young people. The question I'm asking myself after this conversation is, where else do I need to connect with people first before I start coaching them?

What do you know to be true? As a three Blue Pens production? And I'm your host, Roger Kassner. We are recording on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. To discover the ancestral lands of the indigenous people whose land you may be on. Go to native hyphen land.ca. Okay. Be well my friend and love you mean it.