The #beBetter Podcast

Send us Fan MailMark Bauer might be the tallest kindergarten physical education teacher in the country but that also means he probably has the biggest heart of any teacher as well. Mark spent his career teaching and coaching, but his favorite athletes has always will be his 2 kids, specifically the most listened to #beBETTER Podcast guest from episode #6, Ashley Bauer. Mark’s teaching philosophy is simple, and makes learning fun. His coaching philosophy is similar, work hard and accept the outcome. Our conversation takes many turns and gives us a glimpse into Ashley’s journey from the eyes of her parents. If you have not listened to episode 6 with Ashley, we suggest you do it before you enjoy our time with Mark.

Send us Fan MailThe SWOCC Hasbeens are a group of incredible young women who all played basketball together at Southwestern Oregon CC. Kara, Heather, Jillian and Jessica were teammates before they were friends, but their friendship over the years has grown through weddings, kids and careers. Each of them came from different places but quickly learned to buy into the process by being grateful every day. Some great stories are shared in this episode about the bond between these 4 incredible people. They will tell you that the leadership of their coach and our host was the reason they grew together, but the simple reason they have stayed connected is that they are just good people working to be better every day. This episode was incredibly fun to record and we hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did to record.

Send us Fan MailPaul Rovella was about to become a teacher when a substitute teaching job quickly changed his mind. Substitute teaching tends to do that to people, but we are so glad he changed his path because now he works with farming and ranching families to help them navigate the wonderful world of California law. Get ready to learn some big words like “deleterious” and get some legal advice for anyone interested in “door bell ditching.” Paul and his wonderful family live on the central coast of California where he is navigating two young daughters and has some advice for those doing the same. Don’t let them compare themselves to others and find what YOU like, not what others want you to like. Don’t miss this episode because you will also miss Mike Story recollecting on a golf outing with Paul many years ago, there is a reason we call him Storytyme, it is fantastic.

Send us Fan MailNikol Baker went to her first job interview with her mom, she wouldn’t recommend that to anyone nowadays, but it could not have worked out any better for her in the long run. We always think about the people who have impacted our lives and Nikol had an incredible mentor in her first teaching job. Her first boss told her she is going to make mistakes, but if anyone wants to get to you, they will have to go through me. This philosophy has stuck with her for many years and has molded her into the educator she is today. In her spare time she spends time with her daughters by watching them compete in the rodeo world and don’t forget her side hustle, SAM Coaching, where she works with young athletes on how to improve their mental toughness. Nikol is an inspiration for so many and this episode is only a glimpse into what she is doing to help people be better.

Send us Fan MailWhen Meadow McWhorter was 12 years old she had the independence to tell her dad, “No, I don’t want to practice today.” This simple interaction is one of the many reasons that Coach McWhorter is focused on listening to her athletes. She focuses on athletes who are teachable, not coachable, there is a specific difference. The difference is simple because when someone is faced with adversity they respond with their palms up or their palms down. And one more thing, in this episode, Coach McWhorter will teach everyone the difference between nice and kind. 

Send us Fan MailWe typically record in the evenings on the West Coast, which meant that Greg & Kristen Perkins from InclYOUsion Sports (inclyousionsports.com) were 3 hours ahead in Massachusetts and life happens. Greg was taking care of the kiddos for bedtime but we still had the pleasure of talking with Kristen about their passion to help kids. Greg and Kristen created a quiz for parents to best understand what activities their kids are interested in and their training program for their coaches is beyond comprehension. Working with your spouse requires you to say what needs to be said and then “move on” but this couple is doing and saying what needs to be done and said on a daily basis to help kids find their passion.

Send us Fan MailAnn Walker has enjoyed exploring all types of things in her life from athletics to acting and mostly traveling. Her life has taken her from a small town in Iowa all over the country coaching basketball and eventually into athletic administration. It is clear that she is very successful at many things, but retiring was not one of them. She came out of retirement for a short time to get back into college athletic administration and then moved over to help with WeCoach where she worked for many years and now is on their board of directors. Ann believes that coaches can be honest and hard without being demeaning and she is working to help coaches learn how to do both. The key to her success, just be authentic.

Send us Fan MailDom Montiel joined us this past fall to share his point of view on being a collegiate athlete and his decision to transfer from a Div. 1 college to an NAIA college to play football. As he looks forward to his senior season in the fall of 2026, he reflects on how he believes you need to outwork people to be successful, but you must also give yourself some grace. If you are not graceful with yourself you will just get frustrated and that will not help you achieve what you are working towards. Dom also shares how Madden Football has helped him as a QB, but the best advice he gives us as parents is simple: “be there” for your kids. Something he learned from his parents over the years. 

Send us Fan MailLeeAnnDra Marchese was ready to go into the military when a chance encounter opened the door to law enforcement. She is open and honest about how her childhood shaped her into the woman and mother she is today. She shares how she learned to work on her breathing so she could be more mindful on the way to an emergency call but don’t be fooled, if you touch her hair, “it’s on!” Law enforcement officers see a lot of sad and depressing things during their time on the job, but LeeAnnDra does an incredible job showing us the bright side of her career and how she continues to help others in need.

Send us Fan MailCL Lindsay wanted to be an attorney since he was in the 10th grade and he did it, he made it to the big time and was practicing law in New York with some huge clients. But, as most of us realize, what we wanted at 15 years old is not what we are going to want when we are in our 50’s. A call from his college professor one day changed his professional career and put him on a path to making an impact daily on students' lives. “Success is weird” but the key to CL’s success is consistency. This is by far the most we have laughed in any episode but don’t be surprised to have CL make you think just as much as he made us laugh.

Send us Fan MailYear 1 of The #beBETTER Podcast is in the books and the hosts can’t believe how fast time has flown by. So many great guests, countless amazing stories and this was just the first year. The guys got some questions from some of their faithful listeners and a random guy named Steve from Oregon. All of these great questions gave us some topics to reflect on, remember what to be grateful about and think about how we always end up right where we are supposed to be. We hope you enjoy listening to us reminisce about this past year and look forward to a great 2026.

Send us Fan Mail**Friendly Festive Warning**: This episode of The #beBETTER Podcast covers a lot of different topics and we share some great stories with our special guest. If your household is still firmly Team Santa, press play once the kids are asleep. We believe in preserving holiday magic around here.John Egerer is Santa Claus, no one can dispute it and no one would introduce him as John, this is a fact. This Santa has been sharing his kindness around Humboldt County in Northern California for nearly 50 years because of the love he receives back from so many people. Listen to how his service began because of the influence of his mother and why he continues to support the Toys for Tots program every year to bring joy to our kids around the world (https://www.toysfortots.org/). A quick apology in advance for a few technical and audio hiccups, it’s a long journey to the North Pole, and the Wi-Fi got a little frosty along the way. The North Pole is magical… but the internet? Not always. Blame the distance, the snowstorms, and some very overworked North Pole Wi-Fi.

Send us Fan MailDr. Rod Keller joins our hosts to talk about his personal and professional life where he tells us the secret to being a good teacher, but you have LISTEN to the episode to find out what that secret is. Dr. Keller has retired twice but he is not very good at it, so here is again teaching a freshman seminar course in Idaho. His background is in writing but he is teaching young people to see their own capabilities by using positive grading. Dr. Keller is a kind person who always focuses on what students and people are doing well, not what they are doing wrong. Rod is actually a twin, but he is one of a kind as far as we are concerned.

Send us Fan MailCoach Bagley-Trotter has spent her life coaching softball and she has always worked on finding her direction. Well, she has found her direction and her plan was right because of the perspective she had along the way. That perspective was to find good people and focus on transformational relationships instead of transactional ones. We were fortunate to spend some with Coach recently and talk about her journey to finding the “right fit.” After you listen we believe you will be trying to find better ways to forgive, surround yourself with good people and other ways you can be better.

Send us Fan MailAaron Locks has experienced many different failures in his life and he will be the first to tell you that without those failures he wouldn’t be where he is today, which is right where he wants to be. Aaron’s mom was and still is his inspiration, she is the one who would always ask after any of those setbacks, “what is the lesson?” This philosophy has led Aaron to always think about what he could learn from the failures and how those lessons could help him to help others. His focus is on developing kids into adults through sports and he is doing an incredible job of it with his newest adventure, National Academy of Athletics. Along the way he shares some stories about his kids, grandkids and even opens up about losing his home in the Santa Rosa fires a few years back. Aaron has his own successful show/podcast focusing on youth sports every Thursday morning so if you don’t know who Aaron is, here is your chance!

Send us Fan MailTrina Comerford’s journey from mom to division 1 softball umpire has forced her to make some sacrifices, but she is well aware of the sacrifices her family has had to make as well. She believes that anything worth doing is worth doing well which is why she works so hard to be a great umpire, not just a good one. Her key to being great is simple, communication. Trina is so gracious to spend some time with us especially while she is juggling all of her different roles including school board member, mother and umpire recruiter. Her goal is to help increase the number of officials in the future by planting a seed in the minds of the current athletes. Parents, coaches, officials and athletes don’t want to miss her perspective on a variety of topics.

Send us Fan MailLt. Col. Seth Barrett was a senior in high school in 1997 on the Santa Rosa High School basketball team where previous guest, Pat Kennedy (Episode #5), coached him and helped shape him into the incredible person he is now. Seth has traveled the world, moving more times than you can possibly imagine, sacrificing his personal life to protect America as well those unable to protect themselves in places like Ukraine and Israel. Along the way he has learned about compassion and accountability while also realizing that anything can be accomplished if you don’t set limits for yourself. Seth has accomplished so many things in his life and career, but he will tell you that success is rare, be ready to fail. And don’t forget, he has his own podcast where he talks with other service men and women about their journey over a glass of whiskey!

Send us Fan MailAmy Christensen is the first guest that Jared recruited for the podcast and he could not have picked a better one. Amy was a first generation college student, but she also had some great examples as parents. Amy gives her perspective on family dynamics and the fact that parents don't need to understand their kids to support them. Home is supposed to be a place to recover from the world around our children but it is also important to remember that kids might be uncomfortable, not unsafe.  

Send us Fan MailJustin Clymo graduated from Stevenson School in Pebble Beach California, won a national championship while coaching at UC Davis, but he knew he belonged at the high school level and he’s now back at his alma mater impacting the next generation. Coach Clymo has coached a variety of sports at different schools over his 24 years in education, but if you want to connect with him you better be willing to travel to Pebble Beach. His office overlooks the 18th green at Spy Glass, one of the most beautiful places on earth, but this guy does not take his role for granted. Athletics and coaching is his medium, but Coach Clymo’s most enduring quality is his straight up honesty. He is developing people, not athletes, and it is quite clear that he is very successful. Don’t miss this episode because he talks about avoiding coaching his own kids, but maintains that the people and creating lasting “contacts” is the most important thing to him.

Send us Fan MailCoach Cheryl Holden talks about her journey from a small town in Washington to Vice-President at Columbia Basin College. We discuss the importance of the process and not the outcome as well as what a “normal coach” should look like. If we expect others to act or perform in a certain way, we better provide the appropriate opportunities. If we want more women to coach, then we need to think about our policies and procedures such as a “child friendly campus.” Coach Holden has been extremely successful on the court, by the way the court is named after her, but she doesn’t even know what her win loss record is because it doesn’t matter. What matters is if she is invited to the wedding.

Send us Fan MailCourtney Jackson learned to love the game of basketball as a young kid and his passion for the game took him to Sonoma State University, then to the Napa Valley where he coached the boy’s basketball team at the Hanna Academy. Eventually this led to his current position at Principal, but his true impact is in the daily lives of those who need him most. Courtney is exactly what we hope our teachers and coaches are for our own kids, a beacon of light and an example of how to do things the right way. No one is making a bigger impact in a more difficult scenario than he is. If you think you have it tough, be prepared to have your point of view challenged. Courtney’s story will make you think about how you can be better.

Send us Fan MailRich Shayewitz is and will always be associated with Sonoma State University, but a few short months ago, in the middle of the season as the head men’s basketball coach he was told the college was going to cut all athletics at the end of the season. Listen to how Coach Shayewitz attempted to handle the rest of the season and he is still hard on himself for maybe not doing things perfectly, spoken like a true coach. Rich is one of the good guys. He works hard daily to be a great husband, father and coach. This conversation is a glimpse into his past and an announcement about where his future is going to take him. Sunny weather is definitely in his future. My only wish is this conversation was longer than one hour, we have so much more to talk about.

Send us Fan MailCoach Reynolds grew up in Humboldt county and always wanted to be a football coach. His time as an assistant coach under a legend helped him to grow and develop, but as most coaches will tell you, there were some bumps along the way. Coach Reynolds talks about team culture, developing assistant coaches and balancing family along the way. Once again, the key is to surround yourself with people who can help you be the best version of yourself.

Send us Fan Mail Coach Woods is a coach, teacher and mentor and although is retired, she continues to teach and connect with her former student-athletes. She enjoys every day and her energy is infectious. She regrets nothing because she learned from all of her experiences whether they were championships or failures along the way. In retirement she continues to build her relationships with former athletes and enjoys the friendly competition she has found playing pickleball. We were fortunate to have Coach Woods on with us to share so many wonderful stories from over 4 decades of coaching. You will not listen to this episode without getting a smile on your face.

Send us Fan MailJoseph ("Joe") Herbert is the oldest son of one of our hosts, Mike Herbert, and his story will hopefully inspire other young student-athletes to keep moving forward. This young man has not always known exactly what his path is, but he has always put himself in a position to have as many doors open for himself as he would like. Joseph was a high school state champion in track & field in Oregon his senior year and competed in 4 different sports over his high school career including soccer, basketball, baseball & track. He just finished his first year of college, but will complete his AA degree this summer from Shasta College in Redding, CA. Don’t miss this episode where he talks about some of his success and of course some of the bumps in the road while still joining Jared and Storytyme in giving his dad a hard time every now and then. We could not be more proud of this young man and we are so excited to share this special bonus episode.

Send us Fan MailA reflection episode to say the least, this episode is a look back at what we have done so far. Not many people know that we recorded the first 12 episodes in a very short period of time and then put them in the bank and took a break. Not really knowing how this passion project was going to roll out we thought we should record a few and then sit back and watch how it all played out. Much to our enjoyment, the mission to impact 1 person at a time is working and we get to share some of those stories. This has been a great adventure and we look forward to sharing our journey with those who are interested in listening. 

Send us Fan MailTiffany Cotter shares her family's story about losing her husband, Gene Cotter, and how she continues to get up every morning for her kids. The love for her children is her driving force each day as well as her passion as a school counselor at Hollister HS, but that’s not all. She does all of this while also balancing the Live Like Geno Foundation (www.livelikegeno.org) which helps build basketball courts, raises money for scholarships, provides low cost summer basketball camps and don’t forget about her mission to help other widows. Don’t miss this conversation with an amazing mom and incredible person. **Trigger Warning**: Today’s episode of The #beBETTER Podcast covers a lot of different topics and we share some great stories with our special guest. Among those great stories something very sensitive comes up that we want our listeners to be aware of where we discuss the topics of death, loss and grief. The #beBETTER mission is and always will be to help people be the best versions of themselves, but at times we all may not feel like the best version of ourselves. We encourage anyone who might listen to this episode and feel like they need some help, or you know of someone who may need help, to please reach out to their local mental health experts and resources. You are not alone and there is always someone here to listen, all you have to do is reach out. We appreciate everyone who listens to The #beBETTER Podcast and we hope you enjoy today's episode.

Send us Fan MailDr. Tom is a quitter, but hear me out, it is a good thing. Listen to Dr. Tom discuss how her decision to quit really opened her eyes to how good it feels to help others by simply doing something for someone else. As a teenager she came to love the game of basketball where she was coached by both Mike Story and Dr. Herbert, but her love for four legged animals really motivates her to help others through her Therapeutic Horse program. Dr. Tom is focused on doing more for others by doing less, but listen and find out how she was an integral part in helping one of the hosts find true love.

Send us Fan MailMegan Hankins-Maldonado has spent her life coaching and helping others. Now she is focused directly on helping coaches be better so they can ultimately help others achieve things they didn’t know they could. Megan has many different experiences as a mom and coach, but along with her degrees and certifications she is truly a unicorn in the industry. Listen to her discuss many topics from mental health, child development and the NCAA portal. Her background and upbringing from standout athlete to coach to “coaches advocate” make this a great listen for athletes, parents and coaches.

Send us Fan MailGrowing up you might think that wrestling was the only thing talked about in the Zalesky house for the all-american and hall of fame wrestlers Jim and Lennie Zalesky, but you would be wrong. Jim only competed in 1 event when was in the 7th grade and neither of them really got into the sport until high school. A very modest start for these 2 gentlemen who are now coaching together in the first season at Cal Poly Humboldt after a 33 year hiatus for wrestling on campus in Arcata, CA. Lennie came out of retirement for this opportunity and Jim left another position to come coach with his brother. Listen to them share their stories from wrestling in the basement as kids to winning national titles at Iowa and now back together again on the beautiful north coast of California. 

Send us Fan MailCoach Clink is known in the coaching industry as a guy who was always doing it the right way. Listen to him talk about how his past experiences shaped him and why his decision to retire was a family decision. Coach Clink’s first coaching job was at 12 years old and he never wanted to do anything else. There is no doubt he is a great coach, but he is also a great teacher and is continuing to help others through his new adventure “Building Championship Culture” (GregClink.com). Nothing is more important to him than family but his impact on others will continue for years to come.

Send us Fan MailWarwick Schiller is THE Attuned Horseman and you may wonder why he would want to talk with us. He is a world renowned horse trainer, but he would say the horse is not the problem, he is helping to retrain their owners. Our conversation covers his 500 km race in Patagonia and his passion for helping people think about how their lives have impacted them along their Journey. Warwick has been a family friend for years and is so generous to share his stories with us. It doesn’t matter if you are a horse person or not, if you care about people you are going to want to listen to what he has to offer in this episode. 

Send us Fan MailCoach Truesdale has spent her life and career dedicated to students and the game of softball. Although she started off as a basketball player, her love for softball grew from her high school coach and mentor into a hall of fame career. One of only 2 high school softball coaches to be inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame, coach talks about the 833 career wins, but is more focused on having lunch with a former player. Listen to the message she shares about surrounding yourself with good people who are better than you so that everyone can be successful and ultimately be better.

Send us Fan MailAshley is a 3rd year nursing student at Loyola University Chicago, but before she decided to move to the midwest she was a starting high school basketball student-athlete. She decided to step away from the game she loved just before her senior season due to abusive language and treatment from her coach. Now looking back she realizes that she needed to focus on her own mental health and is grateful for the support her family gave her at the time. Ashley provides an incredible perspective for the next generation of student-athletes and hopefully her story will encourage coaches, teachers, administrators and parents to listen to the students/kids they are responsible for keeping safe. 

Send us Fan MailOver 30 years in education, Pat Kennedy has been a parent, teacher, coach, administrator and official. He tried to retire, but is back coaching again and doesn’t look like he is going to stop helping people be better any time soon. Coach spends some time with the guys talking about all of the different relationships he has been fortunate to cultivate over the years and why he is driven to help others. An incredibly humble person, Coach Kennedy shares his focus on the people he worked with and why he loves what he does. **Trigger Warning**: Today’s episode of The #beBETTER Podcast covers a lot of different topics and we share some great stories with our special guest. Among those great stories something very sensitive comes up that we want our listeners to be aware of where we discuss the topic of suicide. The #beBETTER mission is and always will be to help people be the best versions of themselves, but at times we all may not feel like the best version of ourselves. We encourage anyone who might listen to this episode and feel like they need some help, or you know of someone who may need help, to please reach out to their local mental health experts and resources. You are not alone and there is always someone here to listen, all you have to do is reach out. We appreciate everyone who listens to The #beBETTER Podcast and we hope you enjoy today's episode. 

Send us Fan MailStanford University Associate Head Coach of Men's Basketball, Eric Reveno, discusses his coaching stops from Palo Alto to Portland to Atlanta and back again. Some great advice from someone who has made a career in coaching, but has never forgotten the true mission of athletics. Coach discusses his focus on helping his student-athletes be better people both on and off the court while also providing some great insight for parents out there who are raising the next generation. 

Send us Fan MailMike Story was born and raised in Orland, California. After graduating high school he attended Sonoma State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Physical Education. He went on to earn a Teaching Credential in Mathematics and Physical Education. Mike taught and coached at the high school level for more than 14 years. During that time he coached high school basketball, tennis, golf, AAU basketball and his son’s Little League baseball teams. In 2014 he switched careers, leaving teaching for agriculture, where he is a 3rd generation farmer growing almonds. Mike now resides back in his hometown with his amazing wife, two labs and six “barn” cats. Their son is attending UC Davis where he is playing baseball for the Aggies.

Send us Fan MailDr. Gardner is a native of Eastern Idaho.  After earning a bachelor's degree from Utah State University, Jared continued his pursuit of higher education.  He holds a masters in counseling and a doctorate of education from Idaho State University.  Jared has spent the last fifteen years in higher education administration at various institutions at all levels of higher ed and in a variety of different positions.  While none of these jobs were directly related to sports, many of the positions Jared has held were directly involved in helping college students develop into the best versions of themselves.  Jared currently resides in Corvallis, Oregon with his wife, two children, and a not so friendly cat.

Send us Fan MailDr. Herbert grew up in Hollister, CA and played multiple sports through high school including cross country, water polo and swimming but basketball was his passion. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University in 1998 and then his master’s degree from Humboldt State in 2002. Both degrees were in Kinesiology with an emphasis on teaching and coaching. After his graduation from Humboldt in 2002 he went to the University of New Mexico where he earned his Ph.D. in Health, Physical Education & Recreation with an emphasis in curriculum & instruction and a minor in educational psychology. Dr. Herbert has coached and taught at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels for over 15 years. He also spent 13 years in higher education administration. Dr. Herbert started the #beBETTER brand over 10 years ago when he developed his “parent sessions” to help parents understand the best ways to support their kids, communicate with coaches and feel good about their own parenting styles. Dr. Herbert currently resides in Eureka, CA with his wife, who coaches collegiate softball and his 2 sons. Both boys compete and participate in a variety of sports.