I grew up with coaches that got in your face and yelled. Gideon Culman isn’t that kind of coach. He’s smarter than that – he’s not there to tell you what to do, he’s there to help you find what works for you. Even when the work was difficult, Gideon’s persistence and  passion helped sustain me – even when I wasn’t sure if I could make it.

Gideon is great to work with because he’s easy to relate to, an interesting, kind guy with a great sense of humor – but he never lets that get in the way of saying what needs to be said. And sometimes what needs to be said is nothing. In this kind of work, the silences can be as important and powerful as anything else, and Gideon has the confidence and understanding to let those silences stand, allowing what’s important and powerful to emerge from it.

Of all the great coaches I know of, not one of them went out and played the games for their players. What they did was help their players develop tools to take on whatever they might face in a game.  And what Riley, Jackson, and Parcels gave to Magic, Jordan, and Taylor, Gideon gave to me. We worked hard during the hour we spent together each week – developing insights, practices, and habits, – but the value came from how I was able to apply that learning during the other 167 hours of the week.

Over the past few months I’ve developed some fantastic habits but perhaps the most valuable thing I got from working with Gideon is the tools to continue developing myself on my own.