Coach Reed Maltbie: Choosing Kindness

Challenge Your Thinking with Dr. Linda Tucker

Coach Reed believes that "progress hinges on the gap between who will talk in private and who will act in public." Of all the quotes that runs through his head, that is the one that really resonates. It has become his morning mantra, because "until we act, every thing we do in private makes no change in the world." Coach Reed is a Sports Coach with a message for all of us...and, if you think this is a message for athletes alone you will be missing out. He has a unique perspective that is not only refreshing, but in my opinion... needed. As a coach for 20 plus years, he is passionate about many things and one in particular...and this is one I can get behind...Coach Reed is all about developing confidence in his players, rather than controlling them with fear. As the Executive Director of STAR Soccer Club- a 500 player club in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Ted Talk alumni Coach Reed isn’t “just” about coaching kids. He also trains parents, coaches, and sports leaders alike on cultivating healthy communication in competitive environments. I think you hopefully agree that we need more kindness in our lives and in our world...perhaps of late especially in the political arena especially. As we’ll learn in this interview... kindness is not weak; instead, it requires the strongest kind of discipline we have to give. And really listening to another human being is a skill that takes time and commitment to develop. Like the saying goes: “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”