"I was winning. But it wasn't real. I was ready to quit."
John Smith - Head Coach, Cornell Men's Soccer



"I was winning. But it wasn't real. I was ready to quit."
John Smith - Head Coach, Cornell Men's Soccer

A program climbing into the top 25 of the nation.

Four MLS draft picks.

One MLS MVP now in the US National Team.


And a head coach who, behind the curtain, was done.

Exhausted. Masked up. Overthinking everything.


This is the story of what happened next.


“I remember telling Drewe: I might have to quit.

I didn’t think I could do it anymore.”

Before Sweat & Courage
“We were winning… but it wasn’t real.”

On the outside, Cornell were already a top program. Inside his own head, John was falling apart.


He says it himself.

The masks. The overthinking. The fear of being exposed. The exhaustion of performing as someone he wasn’t.



What John was carrying:


Overthinking every decision before matches

Fear of being exposed as “not knowing enough”

Pretending to have answers he didn’t have
Leading with masks instead of truth

Emotionally exhausted

Ready to walk away

Before Sweat & Courage
“We were winning… but it wasn’t real.”

On the outside, Cornell were already a top program. Inside his own head, John was falling apart.


He says it himself.

The masks. The overthinking. The fear of being exposed. The exhaustion of performing as someone he wasn’t.



What John was carrying:


Overthinking every decision before matches

Fear of being exposed as “not knowing enough”

Pretending to have answers he didn’t have
Leading with masks instead of truth

Emotionally exhausted

Ready to walk away

After Sweat & Courage


Coaching without masks. Players without fear. A team without limits.

As John stepped into the truth of who he actually is - a deeply sensitive, wildly competitive man - everything changed.


The masks dropped.

The pressure eased.

The players felt the shift instantly.

John completed our leadership course and then Drewe worked with the team through the app

RESULTS

The Stats

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