Coach Brooks Williams: Overcoming Being Told ”You’re Not Good Enough”

Brooks Williams is currently the head coach of the University of Louisiana Monroe women's basketball program. Williams was previously the head coach of the McNeese State women's basketball team, where she took the Cowgirls to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and McNeese's first-ever post-season appearance. In her nine seasons at McNeese, Williams took the Cowgirls to six straight post-seasons and produced four 20-plus win seasons. Williams spent the past three years as assistant women's basketball coach for Alabama and also had stints at Southern Miss, Memphis and Arkansas-Little Rock. 

3:47 When Brooks realized wanted to be a coach.

5:00 Brooks talks about how she made the decision to take an assistant coaching job at McNeese State.

6:50 What it took to transform her program.

7:30 How it felt to leave a program that she built, and move to the University of Alabama.

8:48 “Timing is everything.” 

9:30 The perspective gained when moving from a head coach to an assistant coach.

11:02 Mental toughness and coaching. “Starts when you wake up in the morning.” 

12:40 How Brooks notices mental toughness. “Watch people work.” 

14:00 Brooks describes what she calls the “it factor.” 

15:15 A willingness to charges in basketball: a mark of a successful and mentally tough athlete.

17:43 Have athletes changed over the years? Brooks answers the question.

20:34 How she’s grown as a coach since the beginning of her career.

22:54 Brooks shares who makes her better on a daily basis.

23:36 An example of how she truly listens to her players and responds to their feedback

25:15 “Sometimes you just need to give them attention and love.” 

26:08 The benefits coach has reaped from gaining her players’ perspectives.

27:46 “Great teams are led by their players.” 

28:54 Brooks shares her hinge moment of being told “your NOT good enough.” 

32:26 “You can do and be whatever you want to be.”

33:57 Brooks shares how the same person who knocked her down, helped her get to where she is today.

37:29 Her hinge moment was the switch that made her realize she wanted to be an impactful coach.

39:46 The discouragement from her role model became her drive.

41:51 How Brooks motivates her athletes by challenging them to show her what they can do. 

42:07 “Treat everyone fairly, but very differently.” Brooks finds ways to get her players fired up to do their best.

44:11 “Failure absolutely makes you.”

49:16 “Humble confidence” is what Brook’s considers a large part of being mentally tough.

50:30 Brooks closes with advice to young girls. 

Join The Mental Toughness Newsletter and TEXT DRROBBELL to 33444

ENTER DRROBBBELL at Getsom.com for 15% off. 

If you enjoyed this episode on Mental Toughness, please subscribe on itunes and leave a review

Dr. Rob Bell

drrobbell.com