When Paul Assaiante announced his retirement from coaching the men’s squash team at Trinity College in Connecticut earlier this year, it marked the end to the most successful run for any coach in the history of college athletics. During his tenure, Assaiante guided Trinity to 17 national titles, including 13 consecutive championships and 252 wins in a row from 1999 to 2011. On this episode of The Knowledge Project, Assaiante calls on his 30 years of coaching to discuss the lessons he learned during his career, including how to conquer fear and anxiety, why safety is actually found when facing adversity, the importance of practice, and what’s keeping you from reaching your goals.
Available now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript
Assaiante is also the author of the 2012 book, Run to the Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear.
Here are a few highlights from the episode:
So when you’re struggling with something, step out and ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen? Is this really going to be a life-altering experience? And if it is, how do I come to grips with that? And if it’s not, then why am I making it a bigger deal than it actually is?”
I think success is to get to a place where you can look in the mirror—almost nobody gets here by the way—you can look in the mirror and say, “I have enough.”
Practice is an opportunity to fail. And failure is the playground of success.
Perfection is the enemy of the good.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
00:53 – Run towards the roar
05:04 – Why you need to go backward to go forward
07:40 – How Assaiante defines success and failure
12:58 – How to best prepare for success
17:36 – Why you need to practice your weaknesses
22:58 – Consistency versus intensity
31:02 – How to manage emotions
41:00 – What Assaiante thinks about the current generation
49:10 – Kids, resiliency, and leading by example
01:04:30 – How Assaiante manages the diverse ideas and religions on his team
01:10:40 – Why Assaiante calls his team captains every day
01:13:50 – What are the commonalities between people who, a decade after leaving college, are the most fulfilled and “successful”
