Josh Steinbach | Head Volleyball Coach, Villanova University | Coaches Are Human Beings Too

Josh Steinbach is the head volleyball coach at Villanova University, where he is entering his 20th season and has become the winningest coach in program history with more than 300 career victories.Before arriving at Villanova in 2007, Josh's coaching journey included stops at San Diego Mesa College, Penn State, University of Cincinnati, and Wright State. During his time at Villanova, Josh has earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year and AVCA East Region Coach of the Year honors while building a program that has consistently competed at a high level on the court and in the classroom.In this conversation, Josh reflects on his shift as a leader from controlling to trusting, why relationships ultimately matter more than X's and O's, the importance of empowering and mentoring other coaches, and why he wants his players to leave Villanova saying, “I wish I could do that again.”Josh also opens up about navigating adversity away from volleyball, modeling vulnerability as a leader, rediscovering the joy in coaching, and his recent “learning renaissance” that has shifted him from entering the gym with all the answers to showing up with better questions.Here's some notable highlights from our conversation:[7:40] — Why Experience Made Him Less Controlling as a Coach[11:03] — The Assistant Coach Who Taught Him to Let Go[15:16] — Developing Future Head Coaches[21:18] — Finding Your Own Coaching Voice[26:40] — The North Star for Villanova Volleyball[31:49] — Coaching From Joy Instead of Relief[37:40] — Being Vulnerable With Your Players[46:34] — Why Leadership Has to Be Adaptive[48:41] — Inside His "Learning Renaissance"[55:06] — Why Mentoring Others Makes You Better[58:41] — What Josh Is Most Proud OfLearn More About Zach:Zach's Email -- [email protected] a seat at the Game Changer's Advantage Event on Sept. 4th here.Explore 1:1 coaching with Zach -- Schedule a free call here.Download my free Win More, Live Better Leadership Playbook here.You can watch the video recordings of the podcast on YouTube here.