Joerik Michiels (@joerik) talks practice design, dealing with imposter syndrome, growing from "cook" to "chef" and more

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Jan 14, 2026

Joerik Michiels, a Belgian coach and player development specialist, shares his unique insights on transforming coaching practices. He discusses the importance of gratitude in daily life and how it can reduce stress. Joerik also reflects on his journey of walking away from multiple businesses to find true freedom and life quality. He contrasts European and American ambitions, addresses dealing with imposter syndrome, and emphasizes the shift from being a 'cook' to a 'chef' in coaching—encouraging innovation and personal style in practice design.

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ADVICE

Daily Gratitude For Clarity

Start each day with a short gratitude practice to reduce stress and increase appreciation for your current life.
Joerik says gratitude creates peace because you cannot feel stressed and grateful at the same time.

ANECDOTE

Fisherman Story Explains Leaving The Gym

Joerik tells the fisherman-businessman story to explain why he left his facility after growth reduced his life quality.
He walked away from multiple businesses to regain freedom and daily joy.

INSIGHT

Culture Shapes Ambition

Belgian culture rewards humility and group conformity more than individual ambition, which clashes with entrepreneurial drive.
Joerik found early innovation in Belgium attracted disproportionate resistance and scrutiny.

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In this episode of the BAM Coaches Podcast, Tyler Clark and Coleman Ayers sit down with Joerik Michiels for a wide-ranging conversation on coaching, entrepreneurship, learning, and personal evolution.

Joerik shares his journey from building one of the first player development academies in Belgium to eventually walking away from multiple businesses in pursuit of freedom, alignment, and life quality. The conversation moves fluidly between gratitude practices, cultural differences in ambition, ego versus confidence in coaching, and what truly defines a great coach at different levels of the game.

From practice design and skill acquisition to consistency, impostor syndrome, and becoming a “chef” rather than a “cook” as a coach, this episode offers deep insights for coaches who want to grow—not just technically, but as humans. It’s a reflective, honest conversation that challenges traditional ideas about success, development, and what it means to truly love the process.

Episode Breakdown & Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Catching Up
05:50 – Starting the Conversation Through Personal Reflection
07:45 – Gratitude as a Daily Practice
10:00 – Walking Away From a Facility After 12 Years
12:45 – Freedom, Entrepreneurship, and Life Quality
14:40 – Cultural Differences: Ambition in Europe vs USA
16:10 – Being a Trailblazer & Dealing With Resistance
18:40 – Ego, Vulnerability, and Building Bridges
22:20 – Intangible Qualities of Great Coaches
24:20 – Transactional vs Transformational Coaching
26:30 – Coaching Youth the Right Way
28:40 – Impostor Syndrome & Consistency Over Time
31:30 – Learning From Others: Cook vs Chef Mentality
35:20 – Imitate, Then Innovate
37:10 – How Coaches Identify What “Works”
40:20 – Science vs Instinct in Coaching
44:45 – Designing Practices That Challenge Players
48:20 – Gold & Silver Topics in Skill Development
55:00 – Confidence, Struggle, and Learning Transfer
59:30 – Making Practice Fun Again
1:02:30 – Final Reflections on Coaching & Growth

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