COACHABLE

What does it mean to be coachable when you’ve already reached the top?

In the inaugural episode of Coachable, host Ric Bucher sits down with UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close for a revealing conversation about the people, setbacks and principles that shaped her—and ultimately helped produce a national championship.

Close defines coachability as the combination of a “teachable heart” and a growth mindset, then traces that philosophy back to her father, the coaches and mentors who invested in her, and an extraordinary relationship with legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.

She also explains how a devastating Achilles injury forced her to separate her identity from her performance; why adversity requires entering the “tunnel of chaos”; and how a simple gesture by UC Santa Barbara coach Mark French while she sat in a wheelchair helped plant the seed for her own coaching career.

Close takes Ric inside the philosophy behind the broom and shovel she keeps as reminders of servant leadership and “coaching beneath the surface,” and explains why UCLA’s championship team succeeded collectively even when it might not have been the most talented group individually.

There’s also a candid discussion about the modern challenges of college athletics: NIL money, WNBA draft projections, playing time, parents, outside noise and talented young athletes who may never have been forced to become coachable. Close explains why families can be essential to building a selfless team—or become one of its biggest obstacles.

And after finally reaching the mountaintop? Close did something that perfectly captures the premise of this podcast: she hired a coach for herself.

Her challenge now isn't defending UCLA’s championship. As she puts it, the Bruins aren't trying to “run it back.” They're running it forward.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Welcome to Coachable: finding and realizing your greatest potential

00:53 — Introducing UCLA national championship coach Cori Close

03:05 — Close defines coachability: a “teachable heart” and growth mindset

04:15 — Her first coach: what Cori learned from her father

06:03 — Why Close wasn't always coachable with her dad

08:04 — How great coaches and mentors shaped the coach she became

09:54 — The remarkable story of Close's relationship with John Wooden

12:55 — Why she spent 17 years as an assistant before becoming a head coach

15:57 — The Achilles injury that shattered her identity—and changed her life

18:07 — “Lean into the hard”: why adversity can become an advantage

19:15 — The coach who made an injured Close feel seen and valued

22:01 — The broom and shovel behind UCLA's championship philosophy

25:11 — Coaching beneath the surface and becoming greater together

27:05 — Close discovers John Wooden was right: the journey beats the trophy

28:02 — UCLA's three non-negotiable championship values

29:17 — When UCLA really won the national championship

30:04 — “The Edge”: what happens when talent runs out

30:21 — Parents, recruiting and the challenge of identifying coachable athletes

31:38 — Why greater talent can sometimes mean less coachability

32:15 — Close's message to parents: help us win by surrendering outcomes

33:01 — The WNBA Draft moment that proved UCLA families bought in

33:27 — A veteran's extraordinary example of putting the team first

34:31 — The parenting philosophy Close wishes more families embraced

35:30 — How parents can undermine an athlete's growth—and a team's culture

36:09 — The new challenge: coaching as a defending national champion

36:35 — Why Close hired an executive coach after winning the title

37:03 — What UCLA keeps from a championship season—and what it leaves behind

38:05 — “We're not running it back. We're running it forward.”

38:53 — Balancing struggle, joy and championship expectations

39:47 — Ric and Cori close out the inaugural episode

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