Your Team Doesn’t Need a Burned-Out Version of You

Hey Coach,

There’s a pattern I see over and over again with high-performing college coaches:   

They’ll protect their practice schedule. Their team meetings. Their time spent calling recruits.   

But their own needs? Their personal priorities? Their self-care?   

That all gets pushed to after everyone else is taken care of.   

The workout happens once everyone else is settled.   

The personal development happens after the last recruit call is made.   

The "me time" is whatever's left after the to-do list is done.    

And time spent building the long-term program vision? It’s the last thing they pour into—when they have nothing left.   

It’s not just your career that’s getting the scraps. It’s you.   

And at some point, you have to ask yourself:   

Why have I accepted that my life only begins after everyone else is taken care of?   

The Real Productivity Trap Coaches Get Stuck In   

High-performing coaches don’t struggle with time management—they’re already masters at getting sh*t done.   

What they struggle with is self-permission.   

Somewhere along the way, you absorbed the belief that:   

·         Your time isn’t really yours until your athletes, staff, and recruits have everything they need.   

·         You should never "waste" a moment of quiet by resting.   

·         If you’re not using every spare second productively, you’re falling behind.   

So instead of having structured, high-leverage time for yourself and your program…   

You squeeze it in.   

You tell yourself you’ll prioritize yourself later. You’ll rest later. You’ll work on the vision later.   

But that "later" keeps getting pushed. And at some point, you realize you’ve trained yourself to only allow yourself to exist after 8 p.m.   

The Cost of Running Your Life This Way   

When you spend your best energy on everyone but yourself, here’s what happens:   

→ You cap your own growth. You’re spending your highest-energy hours on logistics and daily operations, not leadership or vision.   

→ You operate reactively. Instead of designing your program your way, you’re just keeping up.   

→ You never fully turn off. Because your entire day is structured around serving others.   

→ You model a pattern your athletes will repeat. What are they learning about boundaries, self-worth, and how to structure their own lives?   

And here’s the kicker:   

→ It’s not just costing you energy—it’s costing you success.   

Because the coach who is constantly catching up isn’t the coach who is:   

·         Making clear, strategic decisions.   

·         Building systems that help you run efficiently and effectively.   

·         Creating space for the next-level moves that change everything.   

And it’s not just your program. Your well-being takes the hit, too.   

Because when you treat yourself like the lowest priority, you start living like it.   

·         Your workouts stop being consistent.   

·         Your sleep becomes an afterthought.   

·         Your mental clarity disappears.   

Until you wake up one day and realize: You’re not coaching… you’re just managing.   

And you weren’t built for that.   

Fixing this isn’t about "better time management." It’s about breaking the system that’s keeping you stuck.   

Here’s where to start:   

1.      Stop Treating Your Program Vision Like an Afterthought   

Your long-term strategy isn’t a hobby. It’s not the "extra" thing you do after the daily grind is done.   

Protect high-energy work time—not just "whatever's left."   

Shift from "fitting it in" to prioritizing it like a head coach.   

If you weren’t allowed to work past 5 p.m., how would you restructure everything?   

2.      Stop Saving Self-Care For After Everyone’s Asleep   

If your workouts, mindset work, and even your own thoughts are all getting pushed to the cracks, that’s not self-care—that’s survival mode.   

What’s one personal habit you’re moving to a prime-time slot?   

What’s one thing you’re no longer putting last?   

What happens when your athletes see you prioritize yourself, not just them?   

3.      Reclaim High-Leverage Time During the Day   

If you feel like there’s never a window for yourself, ask:   

Where are you overcommitted?   

What tasks could be eliminated instead of just outsourced?   

What would happen if you worked in high-impact sprints—instead of trying to be available 24/7?   

4.      Drop the Guilt—For Good   

If you feel guilty stepping away from your team, ask: What am I actually afraid of?   

If you feel guilty setting boundaries, ask: What am I modeling for them?   

If you feel guilty resting, ask: Who benefits from me staying exhausted?   

Your Team Doesn’t Need a Burned-Out Version of You   

Here’s what I know for sure:   

Your athletes don’t need you to be available every second.   

They don’t need a perfectly balanced coach.   

They don’t need someone who sacrifices everything for them.   

They need a model of what it looks like to be a whole person.   

A coach who owns their time.   

A coach who makes space for their own needs.   

A coach who shows them what’s possible—because they’re living it.   

Take Back One Hour This Week   

This week, block off one prime hour—not after the last recruit call, not squeezed in-between everything else.   

Use it for:   

·         Your highest-impact coaching work.   

·         Your own personal self-care.   

·         Your next level—not just the maintenance mode of today.   

Then watch how that one shift starts changing everything.   

Hit reply and tell me, what’s one thing you’re moving out of the "after the team is taken care of" slot?   

Because the more we normalize this, the more we change the game.   

To your success,    

Mandy Green   

Here are some other ways I can help you:     

FREE 30 Minute Consultation/Coaching Call.  Click the link to schedule.     

To leverage your time:  High Performance Coach and Recruiter         

To leverage your staff: Assistant Coach Accelerator,          

To leverage your recruiting system: Recruiting Made Simple         

How to stay consistent with social media for recruiting purposes: Social Story Recruiting          

The Busy Coach Planner is something I think every college coach should have on their desk for the start of 2025. Grab one here and start fresh, organized and dialed in next year.