
ABOUT US
OUR PHILOSOPHY
At Ecsell Sports, we are coaches. We are parents of student-athletes. And we know the good, the bad and the well, not so great, when it comes to the world of student-athletes. But, we know what to do and – equally important – we know what not to do to help student-athletes achieve a positive experience through great coaching.
At Ecsell Sports, we’ve learned that the only true way to shape and define the student-athlete experience is to first look inside, through the eyes that matter most – the eyes of the student-athletes. That’s where our research always begins, and that’s where our definition of the student-athlete experience originated:

Through the eyes of the student-athlete, a coach can build a trust-based relationship and provide a psychologically safe team environment that challenges each athlete – physically and mentally – to create growth in their respective sport.


THE SIX THEMES
In our pursuit to improve the modern coach-athlete relationship, we have identified six specific areas – six behavioral coaching themes – that are instrumental to enhancing the student-athlete experience.
We focus on these six themes, not out of a hunch or gut feeling; we’ve come to this conclusion after studying and analyzing input from more than 270,000 interactions between coaches and student-athletes. These themes are what help us measure programs so we can best determine a path to improving the student-athlete experience.
1
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Constructing an environment that allows student-athletes to be their own true self without fear of negative consequences.
2
CONNECTION
Building relationships of trust with student-athletes.
3
STRUCTURE
Establishing an organized, consistent, and predictable team environment.
4
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Advancing competence and technique so student-athletes perform to the best of their ability.
5
CHALLENGE
Creating unique growth opportunities for each student-athlete that moves them out of their comfort zone.
6
COMMUNICATION
A coach’s capacity to effectively share information, strategies, and expectations with their student-athletes.


Gain Insights with Our Transactional Vs. Transformational Coaching Assessment
If your coaches view success solely through wins and losses, they are likely a transactional coach. If your coaches choose to view success by how they impact the overall experience of the student-athletes, then they are likely a transformational coach. Have your coaches take this transactional versus transformational self-assessment to find out where they stand.
THE BEST TEDX
TALK FOR COACHES
If you’re a coach, and the No. 1 goal for your student-athletes is to win, your program needs a second look. How do we know? Data tells us that unless you’ve created a trust-based connections and provided a psychologically safe team environment that challenges each student-athlete to grow – physically and mentally – peak performance will escape your team.
Says who? Says the guy whose last TEDx Talk has millions of views. And if you’re someone who needs more proof than that, watch Ecsell Sports’ founder Bill Eckstrom’s latest TEDx Talk where he explains the difference between a transactional coach and a transformational coach. He shares why a program without psychological safety and strong coach-athlete connections leads to dysfunction and student-athletes who don’t have the support to grow.
LEARN MORE
Bill Eckstrom
Chief Executive Officer

Will Kloefkorn
VP of Sales

Stacia Jorgensen
Executive Director of Research

Jessica Knobbe
Exec. Dir. of Business Development

Kenzie Maloney
Sr. Director of Business Development

Jarrett Proby
Director of Business Development

Mikaela Richter
Director of Business Development

Cole Prohaska
Director of Business Development

Will Eckstrom
Director of Research & Analytics

Ashley Olson
Director of Client Success

Mikal Brotnov, Ph.D.
Sr. Director of Marketing

Siera Gage
Director of Marketing Ops