#2 Courtney Banghart - One of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders

Courtney Banghart.
1978.
Alaska.
I am authentic.
I am happy.
I am courageous.
BE you.

Badass Quotes:
> “I coach players who want to be great; they think they can be."
> “ Fear hinders progress in every way. We have all been paralyzed by fear. Been driven by consequences versus going toward the goal.” 
> “Comfortable is not living. Life is supposed to have edges.”
> “Bravery is everywhere, it’s just masked under uncertainty.” 

Podcast Intro:
Courtney Banghart was a superstar athlete, an Ivy League grad - she went to Dartmouth and majored in Neuroscience. She had no idea or intention that she would play basketball in college, much less become one of the brightest coaching stars in the college game today. She is intense. She is quick and I swear she talks in sound bites, which must be the biggest part of the reason her players are so pumped to play for her. She is both down-to-earth and otherworldly, clearly in what she would call her zone of genius. She shifts the energy of the room when she walks into it and you know, this is no ordinary woman.

Official Bio: 
Helping to guide Princeton to unprecedented heights, the 2015 Naismith National Coach of the Year, and named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Greatest Leaders, Courtney Banghart will be in her 11th season as head coach of the women’s basketball team in 2017-18. The winningest coach in program history, Banghart has amassed a 208-87 (0.705) overall record with a 113-27 (0.807) mark against Ivy League opponents. [more...]

Biggest Takeaways:
> Crossfit can help you get used to the fear moment, and go anyway
> We are paralyzed more by emotional risks than physical risks
> The head and the heart need to have equal voices when making the best decisions
> Living through fear allows you to be present, and memorable
> Knowing enough vs. caring enough - how only one can help quiet insecurity
> We are driven in two ways: driven to success or driven not to fail
> Tips on going up against your own success
> If you want an interesting relationship, stay in it.
> Courtney's list of the most important characteristics of a great leaders
> How to coach individuals to become a team 

Major Conversation Highlights: 
> Babies R’Us was her FEAR 101
> When she went from being a bad sport to a good sport
> Fear creeps in for young athletes when things start to matter more
> How Courtney beat feeling paralyzed by fear during the process of making the biggest decision of her life - going to college
> How she tackles insecurity and intimidation by “working through things”
> How the allure of getting her Master’s paid for turned into her profession
> Why she refused to turn down the possible for fear it wouldn’t work out
> How she thought being honored as one of the Fortune 50 Greatest Leaders in the World was her college friend playing a joke
> How she showed her team she was ALL IN by passing up opportunity to meet Barack Obama
> Why being bone-tired is when Courtney is happiest
> How being in the moment led to hitchhiking across Alaska and bungee-jumping in Switzerland
> Courtney’s 7-line Basic Pitch
> How her childhood vacations - where she could witness her parents “live in action” - helped her and her 2 siblings find their Zone of Genius as adults
> Why Courtney wants teenagers to the elderly be ALL IN 

Noted Discussion Items:
Mistakes Don't Have to be Setbacks: 3 Ways to be Resilient
What is the science behind fear?
3 Ways to GET MORE BRAVE (online class)

Social Media:
@PrincetonWBB (insta)
@PrincetonWBB (twitter)
@CoachBanghart (twitter)
@CourtneyBanghart (insta)

Additional Links:
Princeton Women’s Basketball
Naismith Award - 2015 NCAA Coach of the Year
Fortune - 50 Greatest World Leaders (2015)
Nols