After years of chasing quick wins in dropshipping, NFTs, and digital ventures—only to face repeated setbacks, bankruptcy, and burnout—I discovered that my most valuable leadership lessons didn’t come from the latest business guru or growth hack. They came from something I’d done years earlier: coaching youth soccer. Now five months sober and building a purpose-driven coaching practice that helps entrepreneurs overcome addiction, manage ADHD, and break free from social media dependency, I’ve realized that the fundamentals of leading young athletes translate remarkably well to guiding ambitious business owners through their own challenges.
From Sidelines to Startups: Leadership Parallels
The transition from coaching 12-year-olds on a soccer field to mentoring entrepreneurs struggling with sobriety and focus issues revealed striking similarities in leadership approach. Both groups require clear direction, consistent accountability, and someone who believes in their potential even when they don’t believe in themselves. Just as I learned to read the body language of a frustrated midfielder, I now recognize the signs of an overwhelmed founder who’s masking burnout with endless hustle culture rhetoric.
On the soccer field, I discovered that the most effective coaching moments happened not during the big wins, but during the small, consistent interactions—the water break conversations, the post-practice check-ins, the gentle corrections during drills. Similarly, entrepreneurial breakthroughs rarely occur during the high-stakes pitch meetings or product launches. They happen in the quiet moments when a client finally admits they’re drinking too much to cope with stress, or when they recognize that their ADHD isn’t a weakness to hide but a superpower to harness.
The biggest parallel lies in understanding that both young athletes and ambitious entrepreneurs are often their own worst critics. A soccer player who misses a crucial shot can spiral into self-doubt that affects their entire game, just like an entrepreneur who experiences a failed venture can lose confidence in their ability to build anything meaningful. My role in both contexts became less about providing tactical advice and more about helping them develop the mental resilience to bounce back from inevitable setbacks.
What surprised me most was how the patience required for youth coaching directly prepared me for working with high-achieving adults who struggle with addiction and attention issues. Both populations need someone who can see their potential while meeting them exactly where they are, without judgment or unrealistic expectations. The skills I developed in creating safe spaces for young players to take risks and make mistakes became invaluable when helping entrepreneurs navigate the vulnerable process of getting sober while building their businesses.
Building Team Chemistry in Business and Sports
Creating cohesion among a group of individual contributors—whether they’re 10-year-old soccer players or solo entrepreneurs in a coaching program—requires understanding that everyone brings different strengths, motivations, and baggage to the team. On the soccer field, I learned that the quiet kid who never spoke up might have the best field vision, while the loudest player often masked insecurity with bravado. In my coaching practice, I see similar patterns: the entrepreneur who posts the most motivational content on LinkedIn might be struggling the most with imposter syndrome behind the scenes.
The process of building trust within a team starts with establishing psychological safety—a concept that applies whether you’re helping a shy defender feel confident enough to communicate with teammates or creating space for a successful business owner to admit they need help managing their relationship with alcohol. In both contexts, I’ve found that vulnerability from leadership accelerates trust-building. Sharing my own journey through bankruptcy, addiction, and the failure of multiple ventures gives my clients permission to be honest about their struggles.
Team chemistry in business coaching groups develops through shared experiences of overcoming similar challenges, much like how soccer players bond through grueling practices and close games. When entrepreneurs in my program hear others discuss the intersection of ADHD and addiction, or the way social media scrolling sabotages their productivity, they realize they’re not alone in their struggles. This peer support becomes as valuable as any individual coaching session, creating accountability partnerships that extend beyond our formal meetings.
The most effective team-building strategy I learned from soccer was celebrating small wins consistently rather than waiting for major victories. A successful pass, a good defensive play, or simply showing up to practice despite difficulties all deserve recognition. In entrepreneurial coaching, this translates to acknowledging a client’s first week of sobriety, their decision to delete Instagram from their phone, or their commitment to implementing systems in their business. These micro-celebrations build momentum and reinforce positive behaviors long before the big business breakthroughs occur.
When Players Quit: Resilience Lessons for CEOs
The most heartbreaking part of coaching youth soccer was watching talented players quit mid-season when faced with challenges—a missed penalty kick, a tough loss, or simply the realization that improvement requires sustained effort rather than natural ability alone. These departures taught me invaluable lessons about resilience that now inform how I help entrepreneurs navigate the inevitable moments when they want to abandon their businesses, their sobriety, or their personal development goals.
In my current coaching practice, I recognize the warning signs of someone preparing to quit long before they vocalize the decision. The entrepreneur who stops showing up to group calls, the client who becomes defensive about their lack of progress, or the business owner who suddenly starts talking about "taking a break" from their sobriety journey—these patterns mirror the soccer player who starts arriving late to practice or makes excuses for poor performance. Early intervention during these moments often determines whether someone pushes through their resistance or gives up entirely.
What I learned from the players who didn’t quit was that resilience isn’t about being naturally tough or having an unusually high pain tolerance. The kids who stuck with soccer through difficult seasons had developed specific mental habits: they focused on their own improvement rather than comparing themselves to teammates, they treated mistakes as learning opportunities rather than character flaws, and they maintained perspective about temporary setbacks within longer-term goals. These same mental frameworks prove essential for entrepreneurs managing ADHD, maintaining sobriety, and building sustainable businesses.
The key insight from watching both soccer players and entrepreneurs navigate adversity is that quitting rarely happens in a single dramatic moment—it’s usually the result of accumulated small surrenders. A player stops putting in extra effort during drills, starts blaming teammates for losses, and gradually disengages from the team culture. Similarly, entrepreneurs begin their exit by skipping morning routines, returning to old social media habits, or isolating themselves from supportive communities. My role has become helping people recognize these early warning signs and recommitting to their goals before the downward spiral becomes irreversible.
The journey from failed dropshipper to sober entrepreneur coach has taught me that sustainable success—whether in sports, business, or personal development—comes from mastering fundamentals rather than chasing shortcuts. The leadership skills I developed while coaching youth soccer provided a foundation for helping entrepreneurs navigate challenges that no amount of technical business knowledge could address. Now, as I prepare to scale my coaching practice and return to working from Asia, I’m grateful for those years on the sidelines. They taught me that the most impactful leaders aren’t those who promise quick fixes, but those who show up consistently, create safe spaces for growth, and help others develop the resilience to keep playing even when the game gets difficult. For entrepreneurs struggling with addiction, ADHD, or the endless distractions of social media, sometimes what you need isn’t another business strategy—you need a coach who understands that winning in business starts with winning the mental game.
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