Coming soon · Book Profile
(title unknown)
A former NFL star turned minister-coach argues that coaches must do the inner work of understanding their own life stories before they can transform young athletes into people of empathy, integrity, and purpose.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
InSideOut Coaching is Joe Ehrmann's coaching manifesto and spiritual autobiography, weaving his harrowing personal history—an abusive father, childhood sexual assault, drug addiction, and NFL fame that never filled the void—into a case for a radically different vision of sports. Ehrmann distinguishes 'transactional' coaches, who use players to meet their own needs for validation and winning, from 'transformational' coaches, who center players' developmental needs and use sports as a platform to build character, community, and meaning. The book insists that coaches cannot help young people make sense of their lives until they first make sense of their own, then lays out a concrete program built on five pillars—community, cocurricular instruction, communication, competition, and ceremony—for turning the playing field into a place where boys become men and girls become women 'built for others.'
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A coach (or parent, educator, or leader) who wants to make a genuine, lasting positive difference in the lives of the young people they influence.
- The problem
- Contemporary sports culture is dominated by transactional, win-at-all-costs coaching that harms rather than develops young athletes. Coaches feel the weight of their influence yet sense they are unconsciously repeating the hurtful patterns they experienced, and fear they aren't 'good enough.'
- The plan
- Do the interior work: build a coherent narrative of your own life and sports history.
- Answer the four questions: why you coach, why you coach the way you do, what it feels like to be coached by you, and how you define success.
- Identify transformational role models and recognize your transactional habits and triggers.
- Define your WHY and your core values (empathy, kindness, service to others).
- Implement the five-pillar program: community, cocurricular instruction, communication, competition, and ceremony.
- The payoff
- Players remember you as someone who believed in them and helped them become men and women of empathy and integrity. · Teams become caring communities where every member belongs, and winning follows as a by-product. · Coaches find sustainable meaning, balance, and satisfaction rooted in relationships and purpose.
See our guide
Related profiles we’ve built
Additional reading
- Tribal Leadership · Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright
Provides the five-stage framework Jackson uses to diagnose and describe the cultural evolution of his teams, particularly the shift from a 'lone warrior' (Stage 3) to a 'we're great' (Stage 4) mentality.
- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind · Shunryu Suzuki
A foundational text for Jackson's personal Zen practice and coaching philosophy, providing concepts like an open mind, being present, and letting go of control, which he applied to managing his teams.
- Tao Te Ching · Lao-tzu (Stephen Mitchell translation)
Jackson quotes this text for its wisdom on leadership, particularly the virtues of compassion, patience, non-competition, and 'non-action' (wu wei), which informed his hands-off management style.
- On Becoming a Person · Carl Rogers
This book from humanistic psychology influenced Jackson's belief in creating an environment where players can grow as individuals and find their 'real self,' rather than being forced into a rigid mold.
- The Varieties of Religious Experience · William James
Helped Jackson understand and frame his own spiritual journey away from his strict Pentecostal upbringing, showing him how his search for an authentic spiritual identity fit into a broader cultural context.
- War · Sebastian Junger
Jackson uses this book's central finding—that the courage of soldiers in battle is indistinguishable from love for their comrades—as an analogy for the 'circle of love' or brotherhood required to win a championship.
- The Holy Bible · N/A
This is the foundational source for Dungy's entire philosophy of leadership, life, and success. He frequently quotes Scripture and refers to its stories (Joseph, David, Nehemiah) as guides for his decisions.