Building Winners and Leaders, feat. Anson Dorrance, Peter Kenyon, Jeremy Boone and Eric Potterat | Breaking the Line Ep. 112

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Feb 19, 2025

Guest

Anson Dorrance, the legendary former UNC Head Women's Soccer Coach, shares the secrets of building winning teams alongside Peter Kenyon, ex-CEO of Manchester United and Chelsea FC. High-performance psychologist Eric Potterat offers insights into resilience and leadership. Performance coach Jeremy Boone discusses the balance of talent and character in athletics. The group dives into whether leadership can be taught and the cultural changes needed in sports, all while weaving in personal anecdotes that highlight the unpredictability of life.

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INSIGHT

Leadership Emerges From Within

Real leaders are born with innate capability; development supports but doesn't create leadership.
Giving people opportunities to lead reveals who will step up and grow into effective leaders.

ADVICE

Build Leadership Through Adversity

Develop adversity tolerance through education and practice in high-stress, realistic environments.
Controlled exposure to stress builds mental toughness to sustain leadership in difficult situations.

INSIGHT

Adversity Shapes Resilience

Overprotecting youth from adversity leads to weak character and inability to handle real challenges.
Exposing players to meritocratic pressure helps build resilience and a winning culture.

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Breaking The Line, the ECNL Podcast, went live and in-person at the ECNL Coaching Symposium at the Circa Resort in Las Vegas, NV for a historic podcast featuring some of the biggest names in soccer and leadership. ECNL President Christian Lavers and ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken sat down with former North Carolina Head Coach, USWNT Head Coach, and Hall of Famer Anson Dorrance, former Manchester United and Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon, founder of Winning Leader Jeremy Boone and high-performance psychologist and retired US Navy Commander Eric Potterat.

Together, the group held a riveting roundtable discussion surrounding how to build winners and leaders. Can leadership be taught, or is it something people are born with? What can you do to foster leadership? How does winning and leadership go hand-in-hand? All these questions and more are answered on one of the most riveting episodes of Breaking The Line ever.

Learn more about each panel guest below.

Anson Dorrance: Former UNC Head Women’s Soccer Coach & USWNT Head Coach

Anson Dorrance is considered by many to be the most influential person in the history of American women’s soccer, and one of the most influential leaders in women’s soccer globally. As the head women’s soccer coach at the University of North Carolina, Dorrance won 22 NCAA National Championships and his program was rated as one of the most successful dynasties of the 20th Century. He is a seven-time NCAA Women’s Coach of the Year, was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008, and received the US Soccer Federation Werner Fricker Builder Award in 2016.

Peter Kenyon: Former CEO Manchester United and Chelsea

Peter Kenyon is a distinguished football executive celebrated for his transformative leadership at two of England's biggest clubs, Manchester United and Chelsea FC. At Manchester United, Kenyon expanded the club's commercial reach, solidifying it as one of the world's most profitable football brands. Later, as CEO of Chelsea, he oversaw the club's dramatic rise under Roman Abramovich, driving its global brand recognition and footballing success. Known for his strategic vision and negotiating expertise, Kenyon remains a pivotal figure in the sports industry.

Jeremy Boone: Winning Leader

Jeremy is an internationally recognized performance coach, best-selling author, published researcher, and the creator of Winning Leader™—a groundbreaking platform that accelerates influence, creates lasting impact, and helps leaders in sports and business accomplish their missions. He was named among the top 5 in the '50 Under 50' category for Entrepreneur of the Year by Disruptor Magazine, and has earned acclaim for his award-winning 2019 TEDx Talk, 'The Courage To Connect,' which has been incorporated into leadership curricula across Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, colleges, and high schools nationwide.

Eric Potterat: High Performance Psychologist, Retired US Navy Commander and Bestselling Author

Eric Potterat, Ph.D. is a high-performance psychologist, retired US Navy Commander and bestselling author. Eric served for 10 years as the psychologist for the US Navy SEALs, responsible for the mental assessment, selection, development, maintenance and enhancement programs for the Navy’s best warriors and highest performers. Eric is credited with developing and implementing the mental toughness curriculum for the U.S. Navy SEALs and was awarded the Legion of Merit medal upon his retirement from the Navy in 2016.